


All Good Things Come To An End

by TerraBrownWriter



Series: The FamILY RP (full of angst and ships) [16]
Category: Sander Sides
Genre: Everyone is mean to Roman, Everyone is try to help Lue figure out his role, F/M, I forgot to write down notes for the other half of this story, It's ok Nemo and Nico got his back, Logan be a angry boi, Logan overworks again, M/M, Nemo is a dumb boi according to Logic, Series Finale, Someone protect Roman from us XD, This one has sex in it, Update tags as i go along, We got guns now, as long as i'm not lazy, the final one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-12 09:53:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 39
Words: 103,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19944223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraBrownWriter/pseuds/TerraBrownWriter
Summary: Lue struggles to do his job which causes problems for the other sides.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is it, folks. The last one. I know there was 17 but I'm combining the last two together. 
> 
> Also, this one starts with a sex scene with Sham and Ori. All you really need to know is that Mahaz is blind. The rest is just Sham and Ori going on a date.

Pete holds Mahaz as Nemo and Logan discuss his health. "I think he's blind." Nemo finally says. "Look." He waves his hand in front of the 5-month old's face, but he doesn't respond.

Logan nods "There not anything we can do about that sadly. Usually, defects like these have something to do with our trait but given how he was made I'm not sure."

Pete frowns and rocks him. "What trait would be blind?"

"I don't know."

Pete sighs and pets Mahaz's blonde hair. "He's very unique." Nemo comments.

"He's the only one born blonde."

Pete smirks. "Little Mae." She nuzzles him. Mahaz pats her face.

"I'll do research for the proper way to raise a blind child," Logan says.

Pete nods. "That will help. Thanks." She stands and rocks Mahaz. He slowly falls asleep. 

Nemo smiles. "You're so good with him."

"Well... it isn't all me. Mom and Dad gave me some tips. I don't know what I would do without them." She kisses Mahaz's head.

"They do have experience. How is Raven? I'm sorry you can't bring Mahaz there. We don't know what his trait is, and I don't want to risk the side effects on someone so young. George was sick for 2 days and he is 5."

Pete nods. “I know. And he’s okay. He helps where he can.”

Logan nods "Well that is all for today."

“Okay.” Nemo opens the door for Pete and Virgil races down the hall like a maniac, Merlin cawing and flying circles around his head. 

“I don’t know if I want to know...” Nemo mumbles.

Logan sighs and runs out. "MERLIN!" Merlin flies to a stop and hovers. Logan goes over and gently holds him. "What happened this time?"

Virgil pants. “Your- bird- is- a little- monster.” Logan pets his head. Merlin squawks

"Merlin settled."

Merlin ruffles his feathers. Nico comes upstairs. “And what has him all unsettled?” She asks. 

“That bird hates me.” Virgil crosses his arms. “Make it like me.”

Nico puts her hands up. “I have no control over him. He does what he wants.”

"What happened?" Logan continues to calm Merlin.

“I went to do your laundry and he just started attacking me.” Merlin trills under Logan’s touch. Virgil glares at Merlin.

"That's all?"

Virgil crosses his arms and pouts. “... He also took one of your ties and I tried to get it back.” Merlin squawks at him. “Oh yeah? Well, you too!”

Nico shakes her head and pats Logan’s shoulder. “Good luck.” She goes to her room.

"Merlin leave Virgil alone he is able to touch my things."

Merlin chirps. “Where’s Roman? I don’t speak bird.”

"I'm sure things will be fine now." Logan pets Merlin head. "Anyway, it's time to feed him." Logan walks to his room. Virgil sighs and goes back to doing laundry.

...  
  
Ori and Sham are cuddling. Sham pets her hair. “Do you wanna go on a date?” He nuzzles her.

Ori smiles 'Ok.' Sham kisses her cheek and gets up. He offers her a hand. Ori takes it. Sham sinks them out. They rise up on the cliff in Nemo’s domain. Sham leads her to a picnic blanket in the forest. Ori giggles and nuzzles Sham. Sham smiles and nuzzles her back. He opens the basket and sets a fruit salad in front of her. Ori claps happily.

Sham chuckles and pulls out a tuna sandwich for himself. ‘I love you.’ He signs.

'I love you too.'

“Do you want to go swimming after this?” Ori nods and smiles. She kisses his cheek. Sham cups her face and kisses her lovingly. Ori hums happily and kisses him back. Sham picks up a strawberry and offers it to her, smiling. Ori eats it out of his hand. Sham blushes and picks up another fruit, feeding it to her. Ori giggles and lets Sham feed her. Sham gets an idea and paints his face with strawberry juice. He smirks. Ori giggles and licks his cheek. Sham purrs. He boops Ori’s nose with some juice and licks it with a smirk. Ori giggles and pins Sham down and lick his face. Sham shivers and closes his eyes. Ori doesn't stop until he's clean she pokes his nose. Sham chuckles and keeps her on top of him, kissing her passionately.

Ori kisses him back just as passionately. Sham moans and traces her neck. Ori shivers and sticks her tongue in. Sham purrs and teases her tongue. Ori moans and looks at him lovely. Sham trails kisses across her cheek and down her neck. Ori shivers Sham sucks lightly on her neck. Ori moans and gives him more room. Sham nibbles a bit, rubbing her back. “Ori...” he hums against her skin. Ori grinds on him. “Oh!” Sham bites a little harder. Ori moans loudly and blushes. Sham lays his head back and pants, a dark blush covering his cheeks, eyes filled with love. Ori cups his face. Ori kisses his scales. Sham moans loudly and bucks. Ori purrs and slides her hands down. Sham shivers. Ori's hands get closer to his crotch. Sham bucks. “P-please...” Ori sucks on his scales. Sham whines and holds her tightly. “O-Ori~” Ori squeezes him.

Sham gasps and lays his head back, exposing his neck. “P-please-“ his mouth continues moving, but he can’t speak. He frowns and remembers where they are. He whines. _‘Please touch me.’_ He mind speaks. Ori squeezes his crotch and moves down. She sucks his scale neck. Sham blushes darkly and combs through her hair, constantly making small noises of pleasure. Ori massages his area and bites him. Sham gasps and bucks hard. “Ori!” Ori smiles at him and nuzzles him. She peppers kiss him. Sham hums and returns the kisses. Ori sits up. Sham pants. Ori pants and watches him. She slides off and lays next to him. Sham holds her close, cocooning her with his wings. Ori pets his wing and watches the clouds. Sham purrs and shivers, still trying to calm down. He nuzzles her neck watching her beautiful face. Ori opens her mouth but then closes it like she gave up on what she was going to say. Sham rubs his cheek against hers. "What is it?"

Ori bites her lip and takes a deep breath "You ever get upset that we haven't done it?"

Sham frowns. "Why would you think that?"

Ori shrugs "We're the only couple that hasn't..."

"So what? Does it matter?" Sham pets her hair. _'We won't until we're both ready. We don't have anything to prove, we just love each other and going all the way is another expression of it.'_ He pauses. _'Also, Logil hasn't either.'_

"That's different, Logan is ace."

_'Still. My point stands.'_ Ori turns and holds Sham. Sham rubs her back and kisses her head. _'So, to answer your question, no I am not upset and never have been. I will wait for you. I love you.'_ Ori smiles and nuzzles Sham. Sham smiles and closes his eyes, simply holding her lovingly. Ori sighs and relaxes. They stay like that for a long moment before Sham speaks. "Are you ready to swim?" Ori nods. Sham gets up and picks her up. He smirks and rubs his cheek against hers. Ori giggles Sham takes off into the air, holding her close. They land at a small pool and Sham sets her down. He snaps his fingers and changes into a pair of swim trunks. Ori snaps her fingers and goes into a one-piece. Sham takes her hand and leads her down into the hot spring. Ori stays close to him and giggles. Sham smiles and splashes her. Ori squeals and splashes him back before swimming away. Sham laughs and dives after her.

Ori looks behind her and sees the wavy form of Sham under the water. She swims faster. Sham springs up out of the water and flaps his wings before falling and making a huge splash. Ori squeals and closes her eyes looking away. Sham swims around in front of her, smirking. Ori giggles and looks at him. She moves forward and kisses him. Sham smiles and kisses her back. Ori wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist keeping her close. Sham leans backward, floating with Ori on top of him. _‘I love you so much.’_ He mind speaks.

"I love you too," Ori whispers and pets his scale cheek. Sham purrs and closes his eyes. "Love your purr." Ori scratches his scales. Sham blushes and purrs louder. Ori giggles she leans down and kisses his cheek, lightly sucking and licking his scales.

Sham shivers. “Ori...” Ori hums on his scales sending a small vibration. Sham moans softly and massages her head. Ori smiles and looks at him lovely. She moves her arms out of the way of his neck. Sham watches her with eyes of admiration. _‘You’re so beautiful...’_ He mind speaks. Ori smiles and seems to glow from the compliment. She licks his neck. Sham shivers and purrs more. Ori holds him close and nibbles him. Sham blushes and closes his eyes. He swims back until he’s lying on the edge of the shore.

"I love it when you compliment me." She whispers, "Makes me feel really good." She moves his hands down his sides and she continues to play with his neck.

“Ah... Ori...” _‘so good...’_ He mind speaks. Ori squeezes his butt. Her heart beats faster at the encouragement. Sham gasps. “Baby... ohh...” _‘more. Please...’_

Ori smirks and whispers into his ear. "More what?" She slides her hands down his thighs and massages them.

Sham blushes darkly. _‘Anything. More you.’_

Ori nuzzles him. "Why me?" Ori nibbles his ear.

Sham whines. _‘You’re so beautiful and perfect and just amazing and your eyes glitter like crystals and your hair is so soft and beautiful and I love you so much, Ori.’_ He turns his head to kiss her cheek. Ori smiles and beams kissing Sham passionately. Sham moans and teases her tongue. _‘You’re so good... you make me feel so good...’_ Ori moans her mind his racing with compliments. Ori sucks on his tongue. Sham shivers and bucks. She feels a bulge in his pants. _‘Please... don’t stop...’_ Ori loves the begging. She grinds on him. Sham whines and bucks again. _‘Touch me. Please. Please, Ori.’_

_'Touch you where?'_ she teases knowing what he wants.

Sham blushes darker. _‘You- you know...’_

_'Do I?'_ she squeezes his thighs.

Sham moans. ‘ _I’ll do whatever you want. Just please!’_

Ori pulls out of the kiss. "But baby, I don't know what _you_ want." She smirks.

Sham trembles and looks down at his pants then back up at her. _‘P-please... touch- touch my cock. Hold it. Do whatever you want.’_ He pants and looks down in embarrassment.

Ori pokes his nose. "Was that so hard?" She puts her hand on his crotch. Sham whines and bucks into her hand. Ori slowly massages it. Sham trembles and holds onto her. She holds it then squeezes.

Sham gasps and throws his head back. _‘Mooorre! Please! Please, baby, please!’_ Ori's breath catches and she moans she curls her fingers at the ends of his trucks. Sham trembles and looks her in the eyes, begging. Ori painfully slow puts his trunks down. Sham bites his tongue and fights the urge to buck, breathing quickly. “Ori...”

"Yes?" She stops.

Sham shakes his head. _‘Green.’_ Ori pulls the trunks down his dick popping out. Sham gasps and forces himself to keep his eyes open. He watches her, eyes full of love and trust. Ori's eyes are filled with confidence and lust. She grabs his dick and starts jerking him off as she kisses his chest. Sham’s mouth hangs open and all he can do is just lay there, loving everything she’s doing. He shakily wraps his arms around her. _‘Sssoo... good...’_ Ori moves down kissing his chest to his stomach then she let's go of his dick and starts kissing that. Sham makes a noise between a whine and a purr. He breathes hard. “Oriiii~” Ori gets to the end of his dick and slowly takes him into her mouth. Sham moans loudly and unashamed. He lifts his head and watches her. Ori goes back and forth slowly taking in more. Sham closes his eyes and holds her hand. “Oriii!” Ori hums sending a vibration through his dick. Sham falls back down, body melting as he continues to make noises of pleasure. Ori sticks a hand into his trunks and squeezes his balls. Sham gasps and bucks. Ori moans and massages his balls as her mouth works. Sham squeezes her hand. He can’t focus on any one thing, everything feels so good. She feels so good. He doesn’t even realize as his body is tensing. Ori wraps her tongue around his dick tickling him. Sham gasps, the action sending him over the edge. “ORIII~!” His back arches and he shakes. Ori keeps him in. After a moment Sham collapses, lying limply on the shore. He breathes hard, eyes closed as his head spins. Ori lets him go and lays down next to him. Sham curls into her, purring.

Ori sweetie kisses him. "How was that?"

_‘Amazing...’_

Ori whispers in his ear. "Tell me more."

Sham hums and rubs his cheek on her. _‘You felt so good... so warm and-‘_ he shivers. _‘So much... all at once. You were amazing...’_

Ori glows and smiles greatly. "I am amazing." Ori sweetly kisses his face.

Sham purrs. _‘Yes, you are.’_

"I love you." Ori kisses his nose.

  
_‘I love you too.’_ Sham smiles and kisses her nose back. Ori moves her hand up and down his chest. Sham purrs more and closes his eyes, absentmindedly petting her hair. Ori nuzzles close to him. A breeze picks up and Sham shivers. He pulls his trunks up before picking up Ori and wading back into the hot spring. Ori continues to hold on to him kisses his neck. Sham shivers again and gently push her away from his neck. He starts peppering her face in kisses. Ori giggles Sham smirks. “My turn?” He nuzzles her neck.

"Can you handle me?"

_‘I’m sure I can...’_ Sham gently sucks on her neck. Ori moans Sham licks and nibbles down to her collar bone. He pauses and sucks on it. He pulls away slightly, warm breath tickling her. “Color?”

"Green." Sham goes back to her neck, nibbling and sucking. His hands travel down her back and over her hips. Ori moans and keeps herself close. His hands slide up her front and gently hold her breasts, wings wrapped around her. Ori rests her head on his shoulder and moans quietly.

Sham massages her and continues sucking on her neck. He moves up and nibbles her ear. “What do you want baby...?”

Ori smirks "I want you to undress me and fuck me."

Sham stares at her for a moment. “Are you sure?”

Ori cups his face. "I trust you baby."

Sham waits a moment before kissing her lovingly. “Where do you want to go?”

Ori thinks "Lue's domain." Sham nods and sinks out. They rise up in the hallway and Sham carries her to one of the rooms. He closes the door and lays her down on the bed before crawling on top of her and catching her in a kiss. Ori moans and wraps her arms around him. Sham pulls out and goes down her neck, slowly pulling her one-piece down. He gets down to her breasts and kisses one while massaging the other. Ori moans and lets Sham work. He sucks on her and continues down, kissing her stomach as he slides her swimsuit completely off and tosses it aside. He holds her hips and licks back up to her breasts, eyes watching her. Ori wraps her legs around him as she moans face full of pleasure. Sham kisses her again, hand sliding down to her crotch. He slowly circles the area. "Oh, baby."

Sham hums and slowly slides a finger in. Ori gasps and tries to stay still. Sham watches her and slowly eases his finger in and out. _‘You’re doing so good...’_

Ori moans "More." Sham kisses her stomach and carefully slides in a second finger. Ori moans louder. "Oh Sham."

Sham smiles and nuzzles her. _‘I love when you say my name.’_ He starts moving his fingers again.

"Oh, Sham~"

Sham moans softly and curls his fingers. “Ori...” he sucks on her thighs.

Ori pants and squirms. "Oh yes." Sham scissors his fingers before taking them out. He licks them and purrs before taking his trunks off and tossing them. He kisses her passionately. Ori kisses him back.

He pulls back. “Are you ready?”

Ori pants and looks at him with lust. "I was born ready." She kisses him again. Sham moans and sucks on her tongue. Ori moans and bucks him. Sham holds her hips down and pulls out. He wraps her legs around him and lines himself up, pausing to look at her. "Tell me how pretty I am."

Sham smiles and massages her thighs. _‘You’re so beautiful. So perfect. I love how you look right now. Waiting for me...’_ he kisses her stomach. _‘Your skin is so soft and beautiful baby...’_

Ori moans "Make me yours." Sham kisses her gently and slowly enters her, hands on her hips. He closes his eyes and groans. Ori pants throwing her head back. Sham stops, letting her adjust. He breathes hard. Ori pants "Keep going, so good." Sham moans and keeps sinking into her until he bottoms out. He sucks on her breast and eases out slowly. Ori moans loudly. "Fuck me, my prince." Sham blushes darkly, looking up with eyes full of lust. He starts moving faster, gripping and squeezing everything he can reach.

“My princess~” Ori screams in pleasure. Sham bites her shoulder and sucks. He puts his hands back on her hips, keeping her down. “How do you feel baby? Do you like this? Do you feel loved by your Dragon Prince?”

"More, more," Ori begs. Sham licks her ear. He throws her legs over his shoulders to give him better access and moves faster, groaning and squeezing his eyes shut. Ori throws her head back. "Oh God yes." She pants face red from heat and pleasure. Sham growls in pleasure and takes one of her feet. He starts licking her toes and watching her. He feels his body tensing and he pants hard. Ori giggles her inter walls wrap around his dick.

Sham moans and clenches his jaw, trying to hold back. “Will you cum with me, baby?”

"I don't know." She pants "How long can you hold?"

Sham continues sucking on her toes. ‘I’ll try.’

"Fuck me hard."

“Are you sure? Isn’t this your first?”

"I trust you baby." Ori holds his hand.

Sham kisses her hand and looks around. He puts her legs back around his waist and sits up. He moans as they move and carries her to a wall. He lays her against it and starts moving again. Ori holds on to him and digs her nails into his shoulder.

Sham gasps and bucks into her frantically. “Or-Ori...” Ori gasps and bites his shoulder. Sham moans loudly. “Oh- Ori!” _‘I- I’m not gonna make it.’_

_'It’s ok.'_

Sham moans and tenses. He bucks into her once more. “ORIII!!!”

"SHAM!" Sham bites her neck and shakes. He finishes and lays his head against hers, panting hard. Ori pants and does the same. Sham carries her back to the bed and slides out with a whimper. He lays next to her and holds her close. “You okay?” Ori nods and smiles. Sham smiles and kisses her gently.

Ori kisses him back. "You came twice." Sham hums.

_‘I just love you that much.’_

Ori smiles and nuzzles him. "You make me feel so good."

Sham purrs. _‘I’m glad.’_ He keeps his wings wrapped around her. “Should we get cleaned up?”

"Yeah, but in a minute." Ori crawls on top of him.

Sham smirks. _‘Ok.’_


	2. Chapter 2

Nico rides bareback through the forest. She and Snow approach a creek and gallop towards it. They clear it with ease, Nico letting go of Snow’s mane for a moment, the feeling of freedom coursing through her veins. They land and continue until they reach a cliff and come to a stop, overlooking the kingdom. Nico sighs happily and lays on Snow’s neck, closing her eyes as the dapple-gray grazes. "Hello, sunshine."

Nico opens her eyes and sits up. She smiles. “Hello, Prince Charming.”

Roman walks up and takes her hand and kisses it. "Did you enjoy your ride?"

Nico blinks and blushes. “Yes. It was nice.”

"Come down so I can hug you."

Nico slides off of Snow and walks around to the other side. “What are you doing here?”

"Wanted to see you. Do I need another reason?" Roman hugs her.

Nico leans on him and hugs him back. “No. Just- I... haven’t seen you much.”

"Well, that was the past." Roman dips her. "And this is the now." Roman kisses her. Nico squeaks and melts, kissing him back. Roman pulls her back and kisses her neck.

Nico gasps and closes her eyes. “R-Roman?”

"Yes, my princess?" Roman continues to kiss her.

Nico shivers. “I- thought we were gonna take it slowly?”

"Is this not slow?" He purrs and squeezes her ass.

Nico whines. “N-No it’s not. Roman, please stop.” ‘ _This doesn’t feel right...’_

"What's wrong flower? Don't you want your prince?" Roman continues to kiss her.

Nico’s heart beats faster. “I don’t want to rush in.” She pushes him away.

Roman doesn't look happy. "I'm giving you the ok love. I trust you, besides you can't hurt me if you tried."

Nico looks confused and shakes her head. “No. The okay isn’t this. The okay is sitting down and talking, not trying to seduce me after not talking to me for a week.”

"But love, what is there to talk about? All is forgiven." Roman walks closer. There is a red tint in his eyes.

Nico shakes and backs away. “No. No, no, no, you’re not you. Let him go!” Snow lifts her head and snorts.

"What are you talking about? It's just me." Roman grabs her wrist. Nico yanks her wrist away and sinks into the commons. Roman sinks in after her. "Why are you running?"

“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Nico runs upstairs and knocks on Patton’s door.

The door opens, but it's Roman. He grabs her wrists tight. "This is what you want. You want him. It doesn't matter how. Let me give you your _prince charming._ " Roman smirks eyes bright red.

Nico screams and tries to pull away. “PATTON! NEMO SOMEBODY HELP!” Nico wakes up on the couch in a scream. She pants and looks around wildly. She holds herself and shakes, focusing on slowing her breathing.

Terra comes down the stairs. "I'm sorry, I wasn't fast enough."

“I-It’s okay...” Nico pulls her cloak close.

Terra comes around. "Do you want a hug?" Nico nods Terra gives her a gentle hug.

Nico hugs him back. “Do... do you know where it came from?”

"Your fear of if you and Roman will get back together and the fear of Depression trying to take him. Using Roman to get to you."

Nico takes a deep breath. “That’s not going to happen. I know it won’t.” She continues taking deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. “Depression can only take him when he’s prideless, which he isn’t right now. Roman said he would take me back when I proved he could trust me. It’s okay. I’m getting better, and so is Roman. This fear is real, but it’s highly improbable of it happening.” She relaxes as she reasons through her fear.

Terra smiles, "Guess you didn't need me after all. I'm proud of you."

Nico smiles and gives Terra a squeeze. “Thank you.” Roman comes down the stairs humming and goes to the kitchen.

Nico looks over at him before looking down. She takes a deep breath and stands. “Thank you again.” She says to Terra. Terra nods and heads upstairs. Nico glances back at Roman. She wants to talk to him, but she doesn’t know what to say. If she says anything about the nightmare or working through her fears, she feels like she’s bragging. _‘Come on. Casual conversation is fine.’_ She goes over and sits on a barstool at the counter. “Hey.”

Roman turns around and smiles. "Hey, how are you?"

Nico smiles back. “Okay. You?”

"I feel great actually, thanks for asking." Roman beams and continues to make his sandwich.

Nico smiles more and watches him. _‘Wait. Stop staring that’s weird.’_ She looks down and plays with her cloak. “What have you been up to?”

"Painting, sketching, just keeping busy."

Nico nods. _‘Gosh dang it why is this so awkward!?’_

Roman smirks "Is something wrong." He leans on the counter. "Or am I just too hot for you?"

Nico blushes. “Uhh...”

Roman laughs and pulls back. "I kid, I know I'm the bee's knees."

Nico shakes her head. “I don’t even know what that means.” She smirks.

"I don't either." Roman laughs, "but I think it means I'm great."

Nico rolls her eyes. “You’re always great. You’re better than great. You’re-“ she gets up and runs to the fridge, pulling out a can of Fanta. “Fantastic.” She grins.

Roman laughs and takes her hand and kisses it. "You’re not to bad yourself." He winks. Nico blushes more, and her heart skips a beat. Roman let's go of her hand and goes back to his sandwich. Nico sits down and opens the can, taking a sip. She draws another blank for what to say. She glances at Roman’s eyes and finds them to be normal, still that adventure-filled chocolate dream.

Ori comes down the stairs and into the kitchen wearing a high pigtail, make-up, a low collar crop top, and booty shorts. She walks in like she owns the world. Nico blinks. “Wow.”

Ori smiles. "Sup." 

Roman blinks "What are you wearing?"

"What I want." She says with confidence.

Roman blinks again, "Well, ok, then." Sham comes downstairs, hair wet. He stops when he sees Ori and stares. He blushes and gives a thumbs up before going back upstairs. Nico raises a brow.

Ori runs over to him. "Shammy~" she grabs his arm. "Why are you running?" She whispers and leads him back down.

Sham blush hard. “You- uhh.” Ori giggles and drags him back to the kitchen.

Sham stumbles and avoids looking at Roman and Nico. “What are we getting?” Ori smirks and dips and kisses him. Roman whistles. Sham squeals and moans, blushing profoundly at doing this in front of Roman and Nico but _damn_ Ori is good. Nico smirks at them.

Ori pulls him back up. "You like that, my prince?" Ori traces his jawline. Sham shivers and hides his face against her. Patton and Nemo come down the stairs. Patton stops and hisses holding his head.

Nemo looks at Patton. “Are you okay?”

"I-" he looks at Roman and Ori. "I need to go." Patton goes back upstairs.

Roman tilts his head. "I guess he couldn't handle being around greatness." 

Ori holds Sham and purrs. "You got that right."

Sham shivers. “Ori...” _‘can we go... please?’_ Nemo frowns and looks at them then up the stairs.

"Why? What's wrong with here?" 

Roman smirks "She gets it from me." He whispers to Nico.

Nico frowns slightly and glances at the stairs, seeing Nemo gone. “I like this in front of other people. Please.” Sham cocoons them in his wings.

"Aww is my dragon shy?" Ori pets his wings. Roman comes around forgetting his sandwich and stands next to Nico.

Sham curls in on himself. “Ori, please stop. You’re making him uncomfortable.” Nico speaks up.

"That's not my problem." Ori holds him close.

Nico frowns. “Ori.” She uses a mom's voice.

Ori rolls her eyes. "You can just leave." 

Roman raises his eyebrow. "You can leave. We were here first."

Nico looks at Roman. “I’m not asking anyone to leave; I’m just asking you to leave Sham alone.” Sham looks between Roman and Ori with concern.

"Well, _I_ don't want to leave _my_ boyfriend."

"Don't used that tone with us miss," Roman says glaring.

"I'll do what I want, _Dad_." Ori glares back.

“Hey! Enough! Both of you.” Nico looks between them. Sham tries to pull away from Ori.

Ori holds Sham. "You’re not the boss of me." They both say a hint of red in their eyes.

Nico stands and moves away from Roman. “Ori, you do not own Sham. Let him go.”

Virgil comes downstairs. “Sham?” Sham stays stiff, eyes looking to Nico for direction.

"No." Ori glares at her.

Nico takes a deep breath. “Ori... don’t do this...” Virgil slowly comes closer. 

Sham closes his eyes. “Ori, please. I’m brave...”

Ori growls Roman takes a step forward. "Ori listen to your mother." 

"Fuck you." Ori flips him off eyes a brighter red. 

Roman's eyes widen, and his eyes go red. "You want to go!?" His stance changes into fighting.

“NO!” Nico raises her hands, shadows wrapping around each of them. Sham pushes himself away from Ori and runs to Virgil who holds him. “I’m sorry,” Nico whispers and drains them a bit.

"Let me go!" They both say fighting.

“Calm down.” Nico continues draining them, watching both their eyes and hoping she doesn’t give Roman a bruised ego. Their eyes go back to their standard colors, and they slow down and groan. Nico lets them go and backs away. She looks at Sham. “You okay?” Sham gives a hesitant nod. Ori holds her head and blinks she looks around her seeing Sham's scared, concern face. Ori looks at what she is wearing. She looks horrified and disappears. Roman rubs his head as he lowers himself to the ground Nico goes to take a step towards him but decides against it. Nico puts her hand on Sham’s shoulder and looks at Virgil, nodding towards Roman. “I’ll take Sham.” Virgil shakes his head and nods to Nico, then Roman. He leads Sham upstairs. Nico looks back and kneels by him. “Are you okay?”

"What happened?"

“You don’t remember?”

"I..." Roman thinks "Ori was acting weird; she wouldn't let Sham go. I think she flipped me off?"

“Yeah.” Nico looks down. “You both went into Pride mode... Do you have a bruised ego?”

"I don't think so. I didn't know Ori had a pride mode."

Nico visibly relaxes. “You were about to attack each other. I drained both of you, but I tried not to take too much.” She doesn’t look at him.

Roman nods "Thanks, I don't think I would forgive myself if I did hit her." He offers a smile Nico looks up and offers a small smile back. She stands and offers Roman a hand.

Roman takes it and stands up. Patton and Nemo come back downstairs. "Are you ok Roman?"

"Yeah Padre I'm fine."

“How did this happen?” Nemo asks.

Roman shrugs "I'm not sure what happened."

"You and Ori had a pride Vortex going. Increase of self-worth increases of pride, an increase of pride, an increase of self-worth. You two kept power each other up and started to get arrogant and selfish. Gave me a headache."

Nico nods. “That makes sense.”

“Is Sham okay?” Nemo asks. 

“Yeah. He’s with Virgil.” Nico says.

Roman leans on the counter. "Well, it's a good thing Nico was here. Otherwise me and Ori we're about to fight, and that would have gotten ugly fast."

Patton nods "Good job, Nico."

Nico smiles and looks down. “I was just trying to do what I could.”

Roman puts a hand on her shoulder. "Well, you made the right call. We don't want Thomas getting selfish."

Nico nods. “Hey, have either of you guys seen Lue?” Nemo asks.

“No?” Nico says.

"I haven't either. He's probably with Evan."

Nemo nods. “Usually he tells us when he’s leaving...” he muses to himself and looks at the commons in thought. Nico goes towards the stairs. “I’m going to check on Ori.”

"Yeah, that would be good." Roman lets her go.

Nico goes upstairs and knocks on Ori’s door. “Ori?” Ori is curl up in bed her makeup lazily wash off, and she is in her PJs. She hides in her covers, trying to be quiet as her tears run her mascara down her face. She doesn't respond to Nico. Nico knocks again before cracking open the door. “Ori?” She goes over and kneels by the bed. Ori curls away choking on a sob. Nico rubs her back. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault. You and Roman got caught in a Pride vortex.” Ori shakes her head and holds herself. It's storming out her window to her domain. Nico frowns and sits on the bed. She holds her and hums a tune, petting her head. Ori curls into her and openly sobs still hiding under the covers. Sham quietly comes in; he sits on the bed and rubs her back. Ori flinches but gives up and cries hard.

_‘It’s okay.’_ Sham mind speaks. _‘I’m okay; it’s not your fault.’_

“You weren’t in control of your actions. You have to forgive yourself and let go of that guilt. I know it’s hard, but if you don’t, it will continue to eat away at you, and none of us want that for you.” Nico says. “We all love you and forgive you. We want you to forgive yourself as well.”

Ori cries _'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.'_

_‘Shh. It’s okay. Nico’s right. I forgive you.’_ Sham pets her hair Ori pulls the covers off, makeup wash everywhere. She looks pitiful. Sham kisses her head _‘I love you.’_

_'I love you too.'_ Ori holds on to him. Sham rocks her. He summons a washcloth and gently wipes her face. He smiles at her and kisses her nose. Nico smiles softly at them, staying back. Ori gives a small smile but is still upset. She pushes him away.

Sham sets the rag down and snaps it away. He hugs her lovingly and squeezes her. _‘It’s okay.’_

_'Lie.'_ she sighs

_‘No, it’s not. No one was hurt, and I’m fine now.’_

_'Lie to me.'_ She sighs, looking at the ground.

_‘I’m not.’_ Sham frowns.

_'No... Lie to me, tell me I'm ugly, tell me I'm stupid, and you hate me.'_

_‘What? No!’_

_'Just do it. I need to test something.'_

Sham sighs and looks at Nico. “Do freak out.” He squeezes Ori’s hand. “I hate you. You’re ugly and stupid, and I never want to be with you.”

Ori squeezes his hand. _'Keep going.'_

Sham bites his lip. “I hate you. You should hate yourself too. You’re selfish, and a coward and-“ Sham clenches his jaw and looks down.

Tears fill her eyes. Roman stumbles into Ori's room. "Nico a little help." Roman has a few bruises Nico stands and goes over to him. Sham shakes his head and covers his mouth.

Ori wipes her eyes and looks down ashamed. Roman leans on Nico. "I don't know what's happening." He looks scared.

Nico looks between Roman and Ori. “You two are connected...” Ori pulls her legs up and cries. Roman wipes his eyes and hides his face.

Sham looks at Nico with a ‘what do I do?’ Look. _‘Compliment her.’_ Nico mouths and rocks Roman. 

Sham holds Ori. _‘Listen to me. You didn’t deserve anything that was just said. You are highly intelligent and smart. You are beautiful, kind, and selfless. I love you so, so much Ori. You are so brave, and I can’t imagine life without you.’_ He mind speaks. Ori doesn't look at him.

_‘What is wrong with us? Why did I let Sham do that?’ Nico looks at Roman’s bruises. ‘I took away his defense. I did this to him. Wait-‘_ Nico’s eyes narrow. “Okay. We’re going to the beach. Sham?” She looks at him. Sham nods and sinks out with Ori Nico sinks out with Roman. They rise in Nemo’s domain, and Nico summons a notebook for everyone. “Okay. We’re going to write down what we’re thinking or feeling about ourselves right now.” Roman takes the notebook and starts writing. Ori doesn't look at anyone.

Nico writes down. ‘I took away Roman’s defense. I drained him and Ori too much. This is my fault.’

Sham writes. ‘I lied and hurt Ori and Roman. It’s my fault.’

Nico finishes and looks up. “And now we’re going to try and say what we wrote.” Nico shows them her notebook and opens her mouth. Her lips move, but nothing is heard. She relaxes and looks to Roman.

Roman wrote: "I'm stupid and I almost hurt Ori. I'm also ugly, and no one should love me." He opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.

Nico nods reassuringly and looks to Sham. Sham takes a deep breath and shows his notebook. “I-I l-liied-d and h-hurt Ori-i and R-Roman.” He stutters, eyes closed. He goes to say the second part but can’t speak.

Everyone looks at Ori. She sighs and picks up the notebook. She writes, ‘I got to prideful and increased dad's pride, causing a vortex that could have gotten people hurt. I then told Sham to insult me to test if I could give Dad a bruised ego, and I was right. I hurt Dad. This is my fault.’ She shows it but doesn't say it.

“You didn’t know it would happen. It was an accident, and we’ll work to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Nico assures. Ori looks down. Nico holds Roman’s hand and strokes her thumb over it. _‘They need a distraction...’_ she thinks. She summons paper, markers, scissors, clipboards, glue sticks, and string. “We’re gonna make necklaces.” Sham tilts his head. Nico passes out a paper and markers to everyone. “Color it however you want. Once we are done coloring, we’re going to cut them into thin strips.” Roman gets to work. Ori looks at it then disappears. Nico sighs and sinks out to Ori’s room. She looks around and sees the room empty. Nico goes to the window and tries to open it, but it’s locked. She sighs and sinks back into Nemo’s domain.

Nemo is sitting next to Sham, watching him. He looks up at Nico. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Nico sits down. 

“Where’s Ori?” Sham asks. 

“I think she locked herself in her domain.” Nico watches Roman coloring then starts her own. She thinks. _‘If Ori can affect Roman, then Roman should be able to affect Ori... if we can raise Roman’s pride then maybe we can inadvertently raise Ori’s.’_

Roman looks at his design. "Is this good? Maybe I should start over." He summons a new one.

“No, it looks beautiful.” Nico smiles. Nemo nods in agreement. Roman relaxes and continues working on the one he started on.

Nemo smiles proudly at Nico. “Can I do one too?” 

“Sure!” Nico summons another paper and clipboard for him, and he gets started. Sham finishes his and looks up. “Now we cut them into thin triangles.” Nico does an example and hands the scissors to Sham.

Roman looks at his with concern. "You sure this is ok? I messed up; I should start over."

“We don’t have mistakes. We have happy accidents.” Nico smiles reassuringly.

Roman smiles, "Ok, Bob Ross."

Nico smirks. “Hey, he was a great man. Not as great as you, though.” She goes back to work.

"I'm not that great."

Nico looks at him. “How dare you say that about my prince. My prince is the greatest prince there was ever to live. You’re kind and smart and creative and selfless. You make masterpieces and acts like it’s nothing. You are noble and brave and handsome, and I could go on for hours until we all fall asleep listening to how wonderful you are.”

Roman blushes "You always had a way with words." 

Nico smiles. Nemo looks at Sham with ship eyes. Sham smirks. They all keep working until they have a bunch of long tiny triangles cut out. “Okay. Now we’re going to roll them.” Nico says. “The bottom of the triangle is what we start with.” She summons skewers and wraps the triangle around the skewer, occasionally gluing to make sure it doesn’t come unraveled.

Roman makes his necklace and looks at Nico. "What do you think?"

Nico beams. “It’s beautiful. Just like you.”

Roman blushes "Thanks." 

Nico smiles. “Of course.” Sham holds his up as well. “That looks lovely Sham.” Sham smiles and looks at Nemo. 

“Are you gonna finish that?”

“Calm down. I’m taking my time on my riiiiiiiiiide!” Nemo sings, and Nico rolls her eyes, smirking. Roman chuckles his bruises go away. 

Nico smiles at him. “There. Done.” Nemo holds his up. 

Nico smiles. “Looks good.”

"I like yours." Roman smiles

“Thank you! Yours is cool too!” Nemo smiles. Nico puts hers on.

"Na this is trash." Roman looks at his necklace.

“No, it’s not!” Nemo and Nico exclaim.

Roman blushes "Ok, ok, it's not that bad." 

“Not bad!?” Nemo says in disbelief. “Look at that color scheme! Only Roman Creativity Sanders could come up with something as awesome as that.”

Roman blushes "You flatter me." 

“No, I admire you, Roman. A lot.” Nemo looks down. “I’m sorry, I don’t tell you enough. You truly are our hero.”

Roman smiles, "Thanks, that means a lot." 

Nemo looks up and nods with a smile. Sham stands. “Dinner?”  
  
“Yeah, Roman, what do you want?” Nico asks.

"I don't mind anything you want." 

“No! What do you want?” Nemo stands as well. Nico snaps the craft supplies back to her room.

Roman thinks "Steaks, potato casserole, shrimp and spaghetti, fruit salad-" 

“You just named all our favorites,” Nemo says point-blank.

"And?" he smirks

Nemo grabs Roman’s shoulders and shakes him. “WHAT. IS. YOUR. FAVORITE. MEAL!?” Sham and Nico laugh.

Roman laughs, "Who's to say that isn't my favorite meal?”

“Come, onnnnn!” Nemo whines.

Roman laughs, "Ok, ok, my favorite meal is hibachi." 

Nemo claps. “On it!” He sinks out. Sham sinks out as well.

Roman chuckles and looks at Nico. "Thanks..." 

“Of course.” Nico smiles and plays with her necklace.

"Really, I know drain me of pride wasn't easy for you, but I really appreciate it. That could have gone really bad." 

Nico nods. “I’m just glad it was the right thing to do.”

Roman takes her hand. "It was." he smiles.

Nico smiles then sighs. “I’m scared. I was scared I wouldn’t be able to control myself and that it would show I haven’t grown. That you can’t trust me.” She looks out over the ocean. “I’m scared that the moment you do trust me, something’s gonna come along and hurt you again. I’m scared of Depression using you or me again, yet I know it can’t.”

Roman rubs circles on her hand. "I know how you feel. I'm scared too, but bravery is to keep going despite our fear." he smiles.

Nico smiles and nods. “I know.” She leans on him.

Roman holds her. "Also, I think you are doing a great job." 

“Thank you.” Nico beams. Roman kisses her hand. Nico blushes and takes his hand, doing the same.

Roman blushes. "You sure glow in the light of the sunset." 

Nico giggles. “Would you say it’s... hot?” She tosses her fiery hair. “Please help me. I’ve been in a pun mode.”

"Your smoking." Roman purrs Nico blushes more. Roman smiles "We should head out. I feel better, thank you. I've said it once I will say it a hundred times. You know me better than anyone else." 

Nico smiles. “I love you.”

"I love you too." Roman gives her a gentle kiss. Nico kisses him back and closes her eyes. She takes his hand, and they sink into the commons. They’re greeted by Virgil hanging on to the ceiling fan, hissing at everyone. 

“Virgil! The fireworks aren’t going to kill us!” Nemo tries as he cooks. 

“YOU DONT KNOW THAT!”

"Virgil get down from there," Logan says. Roman laughs. Virgil hisses again and holds on to it. 

“What?” Nico laughs. “Is happening?”

“DEATH IS HAPPENING!”

“It’s New Year’s,” Nemo says and shrugs. “I AM NOT THROWING AWAY MY SHOT!” He sings.

“Wrong holiday,” Nico smirks.

"Virgil don't make me call Merlin." Virgil hisses louder. "Virgil." Logan gives him a warning tone.

Virgil hisses more. “You’re not getting him down until the fireworks end,” Nemo says.

"We are safe in the house. No legal fireworks would harm us." 

"THE HOUSE CAN CATCH ON FIRE!"

"IM REREADING YOUR LETTERS AND WATCHING IT... BUUUURRRRRRRRRN!" Nemo sings.

"Definitely helping." Sham comments.

Logan sighs "What will get you to come down?"

Virgil mewls. Nico blinks. "I... Didn't know he could make that sound."

"He can make a whole bunch of animal sounds. He just chooses to act like a cat most of the time." Nemo smirks.

"I will give you anything if it gets you down from that dangerous fan." 

"You shouldn't say that," Lue says behind Logan.

"LUE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?" Nemo comes out of the kitchen.

Lue raises a brow. "I didn't know I'd be missed so much."

Logan jumps, "Don't sneak up on me." 

"Sorry." Lue apologizes.

"You still didn't answer my question," Nemo says.

"I needed some time alone."

"Oh. Okay. But you didn't tell anyone?"

"Why? Did I miss something important?"

"Ehh not really." Roman shrugs 

Logan puts his focus on Virgil. "Virgil please I don't want you to get hurt." Virgil continues to hiss. "Virgil." Logan begs "I don't want the fan to break and you to fall and break your head open." Virgil holds on tighter. "Someone do something please!" Logan begs 

Roman looks at Logan. "Are you that scared of him falling?"

"YES!" 

Nemo's eyes widen. "Shoot." he leaps up and flaps his wings, but smacks Lue in the face. "Sorry!"

"This is what I get for coming back?" Lue grumbles and pulls feathers out of his mouth. 

"Virgil get down right now." Virgil hisses at Nemo when he comes up. "Don't make me peel you down." Virgil claws at him and the fan sways.

Terra comes down the stairs. "Oh, for Pete sake! he's not going to fall." 

"Virgil, do you want a foot massage?" Lue calls casually, making tea. Virgil and Nemo look at him.

Logan looks at Lue. "No one touches is feet but me." 

"Logan I'm pretty sure he meant you giving the massage," Roman says Lue nods.

Nico bites her lip, watching Virgil. "Umm... Remember the last time Virgil wouldn't talk..."

Logan blushes "Oh right sorry I'm just..." 

"Anxious." Roman finishes. 

"Yes." Logan looks at Virgil.

Nemo keeps trying to get Virgil down, which results in Virgil clawing and hissing at him. "He's hissing. That's communication."

Sham shrugs. "Falsehood."

Logan taps his foot. "Nemo stop, he might fall." 

"He's not going to fall." 

Logan looks at Terra. "You don't know that!" 

Terra raises an eyebrow, "Like Virgil would be up there if he thought he would fall or didn't know how to get down." 

"If he falls, I'll catch him. Besides, it's only like 8 feet. He won't get hurt. And he managed to get himself up there; he CAN get himself down he just doesn't want to." Nemo says.

Nico looks at Roman. "Popcorn?" Roman summons it and hands the bowl to Nico. Logan sits on the couch and continues to tap his foot. Nico eats a piece before throwing one at Virgil. It hits his head, and he blinks, then hisses at Nico.

"Virgil." Nemo claps. "Get down. Foot massage." Virgil looks down then at Nemo. He lets go, Logan's breath catches. Virgil lands in a Spiderman pose and immediately stands. He walks to Logan like he didn't just fall from the ceiling. Nemo lands.

Logan hugs him and holds him tight. Terra sighs "See I told you he would be fine." Virgil lays his head on him. Nemo sighs and goes back to the kitchen.

Logan holds his head and closes his eyes. "Walt Logan, he's fine." Roman chuckles "What is with you?" Logan just glares at him.

"Guys leave him alone," Nemo says sternly. Roman puts his hands up and walks towards the kitchen. Terra sighs and heads back upstairs. Logan massages Virgil's head. Virgil hums and closes his eyes. Nico sits on the couch and turns the tv on Logan relaxes holding Virgil close and kissing his head.

Virgil smiles. "Sorry I scared you."

"I just worry about your safety. I don't like..." He looks at the fan.

"I know."

Logan sighs "Well, I think I owe you a massage." Virgil hums and nuzzles him.

"Lue, are you okay?" Nemo asks.

"I'm fine!" Lue snaps. Nico looks over Logan drags Virgil upstairs. Roman leans on the counter.

"Nemo just drop it."

"Do you wanna dance?" Nico asks. 

Lue sighs. "Whatever." 

Nico shuts the TV off and looks up “Be With You” by Anthem Lights.

"Well I think she's different  
But I can't be sure.  
My intuition tells me  
I can't trust my heart anymore."

Nico gets up and starts dancing. Lue sets his tea down and watches her a moment she smiles and offers a hand. He takes it, and she spins him to stand beside him. He watches her movements for a moment before copying her. Roman smirks he looks at Nemo. "Need help with dinner?"

"Sure." Nemo smiles.

"I think she's special, one of a kind.  
It's not confidential  
She's the one who's got me losing my mind  
I say "be honest"  
She says "I am".  
I'm so insecure.  
I can't be sure.  
Can't end up broken again-"

Lue begins to relax and starts moving less robotically. Roman glances at Nico ever now and again as she dances.

"I don't wanna be hard.  
I don't wanna be cool.  
I just wanna be with you.  
I don't wanna be scared-  
What have I got to lose?  
I just wanna be with you."

Nico mouths the lyrics as they dance, her and Lue moving like their improv were choreographed. She smiles, and her body moves freely. Lue actually starts smiling too. They finish and bow towards the kitchen. Roman claps Nemo and Sham clap as well. Nico looks over at Lue. He looks down. "Thanks," Nico smirks.

"Oh, you thought we were done?" She puts on another song. Lue listens to it for a moment and looks at Nico. "I'm following you." she smiles.

Lue looks down. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He starts swaying to the beat, his arms soon joining him. Nico lets him get into it before joining herself. Roman looks back at the food smiling. Nemo recognizes the tune. He looks at Nico. "YOU'RE JUST USING THE INSTRUMENTAL?"

"DON'T JUDGE MY MUSICAL CHOICES!" Nico laughs.

"GIRL! THIS A MUSICAL! YOU NEED LYRICS!"

"If there's lyrics then you're gonna sing along."

"I'll sing whether or no anyone else is. IM NOT THROWIN AWAY MY SHOT!" Lue smirks.

"Man, Hamilton hit you hard." Roman chuckles Nemo smirks and continues singing as he cooks while Lue and Nico dance.

"I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory.  
When’s it gonna get me?  
In my sleep, seven feet ahead of me?  
If I see it comin’, do I run or do I let it be?  
Is it like a beat without a melody?  
See, I never thought I’d live past twenty.  
Where I come from some get half as many.  
Ask anybody why we livin’ fast and we laugh, reach for a flask.  
We have to make this moment last, that’s plenty!"

"Scratch that this is not a moment, it’s the movement  
Where all the hungriest brothers with something to prove went?  
Foes oppose us, we take an honest stand  
We roll like Moses, claimin’ our promised land  
And? If we win our independence?  
‘Zat a guarantee of freedom for our descendants?  
Or will the blood we shed begin an endless cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants?  
I know the action in the street is excitin'  
But Jesus, between all the bleedin’ ‘n fightin’  
I’ve been readin’ ‘n writin’  
We need to handle our financial situation  
Are we a nation of states what’s the state of our nation?  
I’m past patiently waitin' I’m passionately mashin’ every expectation  
Every action’s an act of creation  
I’m laughin' in the face of casualties and sorrow  
For the first time, I’m thinkin’ past tomorrow"

Nemo smiles at Roman. Nico watches them with pride. 

"And I am not throwing away my shot!  
I am not throwing away my shot!  
Hey yo, I’m just like my country!  
I’m young, scrappy and hungry!  
And I’m not throwing away my shot!"

"We’re gonna rise up   
We’re gonna rise up   
We’re gonna, rise up, rise up

And were not throwing away our shot

Not throwing away

Not throwing away our shot!"

Lue and Nico spin and bow. Sham applauds them all with a smirk. Roman does a small bow. "That was entertaining. You think we could get Logan to do Guns and Ships?"

"Not publicly," Nemo says. 

"You shouldn't hear Dad. Seamless. Absolutely stunning." Sham smirks and Nemo laughs. 

"I'm no, Logan. Let's say that."

"I'm sure your great." Roman pat's his back.

Lue involuntarily shivers. Nico glances at him. "You okay?"

"Fine." Lue brushes her off.

Roman glances but shrugs it off. "We are having hibachi. It will be a bit."

Lue opens his mouth, then bites his tongue. " 'kay. I..." his eyes continuously move. "I... Probably won't be here."

Nemo frowns. "Lue, I'm getting worried about y-"

"Don't!" Lue snaps.

"If you don't like the menu, we can change it." Roman offers

"No, it's-" Lue bites his lip and trembles. "Not that. Bye." he sinks out. Nico and Nemo share a look of concern. Sham's eyes widen.

"That was weird."

"It started this afternoon. He kept fidgeting and then just left, and no one's seen him until now." Nemo says. Sham keeps working.

Roman looks at Sham. "You know, don't you?"

"What?"

"Lue is lying, which means you know. You don't have to tell us what, but it would calm these two down if you can tell us it's nothing to worry about." Sham opens his mouth then shuts it. He gives a thumbs up.

"See, maybe he's just making a surprise."

"For who?" "For what?" Nemo and Nico ask over each other.

"I don't know and don't care." Roman goes back to cooking.

"But a surprise doesn't make you grumpy..." Nemo thinks.

Roman sighs "Just let it go."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roman gets a little handsy with Lue but nothing really happens.

Everyone but Lue is at the table for dinner. Logan quickly starts eating his steak. Virgil smirks at him. Sham glances at Ori. Ori picks at her food. Roman seem happy mixing everything together. Then take a big bite. Mahaz gurgles happily as Pete feeds him a bottle. George looks at him with wonder. Terra smirks at the baby. Patton hums and holds Nemo's hand. Lue rises up. "Can I get one to go?"

"Yeah but-"

"I'm fine." Lue doesn't let Nemo finish and grabs a steak.

"Your behavior says otherwise," Nemo says.

"Just- just shut up." Lue goes to the kitchen.

Patton frowns "Is everything ok?"

"I'm fine." Lue doesn't look at him. Sham frowns deeply and looks down.

Patton looks at Sham then up at Lue. "Ok, we'll have fun." He offers a smile. Lue finishes getting a drink and sinks out without responding. Nemo looks to Roman.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Talk to him," Nico says.

"He respects you the most... He might listen..." Nemo says.

"Me? You're pulling my leg." Logan looks under the table, but no one is pulling Roman's leg.

Virgil sighs and whispers to Logan. "It's an idiom. Means 'You're kidding me'."

"No, I'm not. Have you seen how he acts around you?" Nemo asks.

"No." Roman shakes his head. "Lue is scared of me. Rightfully so but still."

"It's not that," Nemo says.

"Nemo's right. Whenever you say something he listens, and it's not fear-driven." Virgil shrugs. 

"Please talk to him once. I'm not looking forward to any unpleasant surprises later on." Nemo pleads.

Roman "Ok I will try but I don't know where he is."

Nemo looks at Sham. Sham looks up and blinks before closing his eyes. He opens them. 'Room.' he signs and goes back to eating.

Roman gets up and heads upstairs. He knocks on Lue’s door. "It's Roman." There's no response. The door feels warm to the touch. Roman blinks he tries to open it.

It opens, letting him enter the summer like atmosphere. Lue lays on his bed, wrists tied to the bedposts as he pants, shirtless. He looks up when Roman enters. "Oh. Shit." he slips his hands out and rubs them.

Roman clovers his eyes. "I'm sorry."

Lue slips his shirt back on. "It's fine. I should have locked the door." he sits up. "You're fine now."

Roman opens his eyes. "The others send me to talk to you but if you just need...this you could have just said so."

Lue looks down. "You know, a few weeks ago I would have thought it was hot being walked in on." he shakes his head and pulls his legs up, ignoring the movement inside him. He rests his head on his knees.

Roman frowns and closes the door. "Ok, what's up? Really."

Lue looks over at him, looking him up and down. He's seen Roman in a lot of emotions. He looks away. "Nothing. It's not important."

"Doesn't look like nothing." Roman sits in a chair. "If you don't want to tell me then fine but don't lie. The more you lie the more Sham and George knnows."

Lue dryly laughs. "Nemo sent you, didn't he?"

"He said you might listen to me." He shrugs "Your business is yours as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. Nemo cares about the individual and will keep bugging you until he knows. Ironic because he hates it when we do it to him."

Lue sighs. "Give me one good reason I should tell you."

"I can't, unlike Nemo, I am fine with waiting for you to come to us when you’re ready. Sometimes people need to figure things out for themselves." He shrugs "The best I can do is say that anything said here stays here unless you say otherwise."

Lue looks down. "It's dumb."

"Nothing is dumb." Lue looks up, watching Roman's eyes for a moment. Roman looks ready to listen.

Lue looks down then at the mess of his room, unlike it's usually organized and clean posture. "Do you know what this is?" he gestures at the humidity.

"A hot room?"

"It's untamed lust. I'm keeping it off you right now." he gestures to the bubble of normal air around Roman. "I have to use this before it starts affecting Thomas." he lays down. "But it's meaningless."

"Why?"

Lue shrugs. "It just- it doesn't- it's not-" he sighs. "It doesn't feel... Good. Anymore. It's just kinda like 'yeah what else is new?'"

Roman nods "You’re doing the same thing over again and it's getting boring."

Lue rolls over, back facing Roman. "But if I leave it, I feel sick."

"So, you need a new way to deal with it." Lue doesn't answer. Roman thinks "Do you have sex or just masturbate?"

"Both. Lately, though I've been alone." Lue swallows back tears.

"Because you’re up here while Evan is down there?" Lue gives a small nod and grips his pillow tightly. Roman thinks "You can't leave your room?"

"It doesn't get used unless I'm here." Lue sighs and stuffs his face into his pillow and screams.

Roman thinks "I'm single." Lue curls up. "Your right that wouldn't work." Roman continues to think. "Can you bottle it up or something?"

"Nope." Lue claws at his pillow, shoulders shaking as the only sign that he's crying. He's always been a quiet crier.

"Is there anything I could do to help?"

"I don't know." Lue squeezes his eyes shut. "I miss them. I fucking miss them and I just wanna go fucking home."

Roman nods "If we can fix Thomas's lust problem then you can go home."

"I thought we did... Nothing was happening and I thought I was finished and then-" Lue bites his tongue. "Typical teenagers." He mumbles.

Roman moves closer. "The kids?"

"I'm not name dropping, but they went to my domain and made it stronger. Great for them, a pain for me.” Roman nods and sits on his bed. Lue looks behind him. He sighs. "You should have left five minutes ago..."

Roman puts his hand on his shoulder. "Let me help."

Lue shivers. "B-But- Nico..." he doesn't move to push him away, body alert.

"I'm still single." Roman massages his shoulders.

Lue moans quietly. "I-I'm not..." he feels logic slipping away.

"We can stop if you want." Roman works on a knot. Lue's eyes flutter closed. His room gets warmer and he doesn't respond, trembling. Roman moves down his back. Lue pants and rubs his cheek on the bed. He can't think coherently. Roman massages his ass. Lue moans and stuffs his face into the bed. He gives a small buck. Roman goes down to his thighs.

Lue trembles. "R-Roman-"

"Yes?" Roman goes down to his calves.

Lue breathes heavy. "I- ah-" Roman goes down to his feet. Lue tries to sit up, but his body won't listen, completely gone. _'have to... Talk to Evan...'_ Roman pops a toe. Lue gasps. "R-Ro- Roman." Roman pops another toe. Lue moans. "W-Wait- P-Please..." Roman stops Lue pants hard. He whines with need and closes his eyes.

"You want me to leave?" Roman massages his foot.

"A-ah..." Lue bucks. "I- ugh..." Roman kisses his neck. Lue gasps and squirms.

Roman chuckles "Something wrong?" Roman sucks on his neck.

Lue moans and bucks. "Romaan..." Roman purrs and holds Lue close.

...  
  
Nico glances at Roman's empty seat. _'He's been gone for a while...'_ she thinks. _'Maybe he was able to help Lue?'_ George looks up and looks to Sham. Sham raises a brow at him before looking at him completely. Sham glances at Nico before looking up the stairs. He gets up.

"Sham?" Nemo questions. 

"I won't be back." Sham goes upstairs and knocks on Lue's door. "Lue? Roman?" Roman ignores it and continues to kiss Lue. Lue shakes and holds Roman tightly, grinding on him. Sham tries the door, but it's locked. He rolls his eyes and sinks in. Roman is holding Lue in a passionate kiss. Sham blinks before going over to them. "Roman."

Roman looks over. "Oh, Sham what are you doing here?"

Lue pants and blushes darkly. He shivers at being caught. "What are you doing?" Sham asks.

"Helping Lue." Roman answers lust in his eyes.

Sham looks to Lue who looks too lost to even comprehend the conversation. He looks back at Roman and takes his hand. "You haven't been here long enough."

Roman pulls his hand back. "Lue needs help with the untamed lust. I'm helping him."

"What about Nico? Or Evan?"

"I'm not dating Nico and Evan will understand."

"Evan isn't the embodiment of Jealousy."

"That is a problem for later." Roman kisses Lue.

Lue moans and bucks him. Sham holds his head and shivers. "Stay." Sham grabs Roman's wrist and yanks him off of Lue.

"Hey! I thought you wanted me to help Lue?"

"Exactly like this. You are in your right mind." Lue whines and reaches for Roman, but Sham sinks them out to Roman's room. Roman crosses his arms. Sham sighs. "Go." He sinks into the dining room and grabs Roman's plate.

"Is everything ok?" Patton asks

"Nope." Sham picks up Roman's drink.

"You know sending _Roman_ to _lust's_ room might not have been the best idea." Logan sips his drink giving Sham a knowing look.

Sham tenses. Nico looks to Sham. "Everything happened," Sham says and sinks out. Nemo covers his face.

Logan continues his drink. Patton sighs "Yeah..." Nico frowns and stands. "Nico where are you going?"

“Checking on Sham.”

"I'm sure Sham is fine. Roman wouldn't... You know."

“That room makes you do things, Logan...” Nico goes upstairs and knocks on Roman’s door.

"Come in."

Nico opens the door. Sham is standing beside Roman who just finished his plate. Roman looks up. "Nico." He stands up.

Nico opens her mouth then shuts it. “It’s fine. I know.” Roman goes over and holds her.

Nico closes her eyes and leans on them. _‘He just left Lue’s room...’_ Sham mind speaks. Roman kisses her neck.

Nico shivers. “Roman-“

"You look beautiful." Roman sucks on her neck.

Sham bites his lip and moves closer. Nico gasps and her knees nearly give out. She fights to remain standing and pushes Roman away. “No. You don’t know what you want. You think you know but you don’t. Trust me, Roman.” Her eyes beg him.

Roman hugs her again. "I want you and you want me. I see no problem." Roman gives a charming smile and kisses her.

Nico gasps and fights a mental battle to not give in. Her nightmare comes back to her and she starts breathing quicker. _‘No. That’s not gonna happen. I’m okay. We’re okay.’_ She opens her eyes and looks to Sham. He nods and pulls Roman away.

Roman growls "What!?" He crosses his arms. "If you knew where I was why come here? Do you not want me?" He looks sad.

Nico opens her mouth just as Lue rises up. He grabs Roman’s wrists and looks him in the eyes. “Enough.” He drains him of lust before collapsing to the ground, shivering and whining.

Roman rubs his head. "Twice in one day." He sits down.

“S-Sorryy-“ Lue holds himself. Sham kneels down and goes to touch him, but Lue slaps him away and sinks out. Nico kneels down to Roman. 

“You okay?”

"Yeah, sorry."

“No, it’s not your fault.”

"Ehh kinda was, whatever doesn't matter now." He looks at Nico. "I am proud of you though."

Nico blinks. “I didn’t do anything.”

"Exactly, you didn't give in to me." He smirks

Nico blushes. Sham grabs the empty dishes and sinks out. “Sorry Nemo and I... we weren’t thinking.”

"Yeah, no one was. I was too deep before Lue warned me." Roman chuckles and leans on Nico.

Nico massages his head. “So... Lue?”

"Lue was trying to deal with untamed lust. He says he's getting bored and he really misses being in the dark side with his family."

Nico nods. “That’s understandable.”

“Wait- untamed lust?”

"Yeah, I don't know what it means but it made the room really humid and hot."

Nico nods slowly. “Remember... how Ori was acting with Sham this morning?”

"Yeah flirty and controlling." Nico thinks. Roman thinks and it hits him. "Oh, they had sex."

“Probably...”

"No, they did. Lue didn't drop names, but he said a couple of teenagers we're in his domain early today."

“Why would they go to his domain? And why didn’t he stop...” Nico sighs. “He tries to respect our privacy...”

Roman shrugs "That is probably what caused the pride Vortex."

“Yeah.”

Roman looks at the ceiling. "This was a day."

Nico shakes her head. “Could have been worse.”

"True but you made the right call."

“You keep telling me that like I’m gonna forget.” She smiles softly.

"You might." He smirks "It's just nice to hear. Being told you did good eases worry and concern that you did something wrong."

Nico nods and lays her head on him. “Yeah... thank you.”

"I wouldn't be saying it if it wasn't true." Roman kisses her head.

“I know.” Nico holds his hand and closes her eyes, smiling. Roman squeezes her hand and closes his eyes. “Maybe we should get off the floor.” Nico chuckles.

"I don't mind the floor if you're here with me," Roman smirks Nico giggles. Roman smiles faunally at her. "Music to my ears."

Nico blushes. “I’m not the only one who has a way with words.”

Roman chuckles "You flattered me."

Nico smirks, they slowly lean closer, but Sham and Nemo rise up. Roman and Nico pull away “There is a thing for knocking you know. It’s called a door.” Nico says. 

“Sorry... Roman?” Nemo looks at him.

"Yeah?" Roman looks at them.

“You okay?”

"Yeah I'm fine, me and Nico were having a moment before you rudely interrupted."

Nemo raises a brow smugly. “Oh?”

“Wipe that smirk off your face mister.” Nico crosses her arms.

Roman rolls his eyes and stands up. "I'm tired so I am going to get some beauty rest."

“It must be hard work being that pretty.” Nico stands. Nemo and Sham smirk at each other.

Roman blushes "Well perfection takes time, but you would know all about that sunshine."

Nico blushes. “That rhymed.”

“Smooth.” Nemo chuckles and leaves with Sham.

"I do try." Roman winks.

Nico giggles and kisses his hand. “I suppose I should sleep too...”

Roman smiles "You can stay if you want. You make for an excellent pillow."

Nico laughs softly. “I mean... you aren’t too bad yourself.”

"So, will you stay? I'm too tired to do anything tonight."

Nico nods. “Sure.” She crawls in next to him.

Roman snuggles close. "Goodnight Nico."

“Goodnight Roman.” Nico smiles and kisses his head, petting his face. Roman hums Nico giggles and closes her eyes.

...

Later that night Roman holds Nico closely as he grinds. Nico hums and turns her head, half asleep. Roman moans and slides his leg over Nico. Nico groans and blinks. Roman nuzzles Nico. Nico looks behind her. “Roman?”

Roman squeezes Nico. "Oh, Andrew~"

Nico freezes. “Shit.” She tries to pull away. Nico gets away Roman whines.

She slides off the bed and shakes Roman’s shoulders. “Roman. Roman wake up.”

Roman groans "Wha?"

“Wake up.”

"Why?" Roman whines and curls up.

“You were having a dream.” Nico sighs and sits on the edge of the bed.

Roman rubs his face. "Oh yeah... Sorry was I grinding on you?"

Nico nods and looks up at the ceiling. “We need to do something...”

"Like what?"

“I don’t know...” Nico stands. “I’m going to check on Lue.”

"Bad idea." Roman takes her hand. "Just leave him alone."

“We need to do something to help him.” Nico frowns but sits back down.

"I know but company is the last thing he wants right now."

Nico sighs and lays down, staring at the ceiling. “What do we do?”

"We need to fix the problem at the source. What is causing all the lust?" Roman snuggles close to Nico.

“I don’t know.” Nico thinks. “When he first came up here it was us... now Sham and Ori, but they only had one time, right?” Roman shrugs and yawns. Nico pets his head and closes her eyes. “We’ll figure it out later... go to sleep.” Roman hums and nuzzles Nico. Nico kisses his head and falls back asleep.

...

Lue paces his room and whines. He can barely breathe; the air is too thick. He feels sick. He shakes, scared of what his happening, his inability to keep it together. He falls to the floor and grinds on it before pulling himself up to his bed. He just wants it to go away. If all of this could just go away... he closes his eyes and darkness takes over.   
  
...  
  
Pete wakes in the middle of the night to Mahaz crying. She sighs and picks him up, rocking him and sinking into the kitchen. “Shh...” he continues to cry as she warms a bottle. 

“She works the niiiight, by the water.   
She's gonna stress, so far away from her father's daughter.   
She just wants a liiife for her baby.   
All on her own, no one will come.   
She's got to save him...”

she sings. Mahaz calms with the song. The bottle is finished, and she takes it out, offering it to Mahaz. 

“She tells him "ooh love"  
No one's ever gonna hurt you, love.   
I'm gonna give you all of my love.   
Nobody matters like youuuu.   
She tells him "your life ain't gonna be nothing like my life.   
You're gonna grow and have a good life.   
I'm gonna do what I've got to do". 

She rocks him as he quietly sucks the bottle. 

“So, rockabye baby, rockabye.   
I'm gonna rock you-  
Rockabye baby, don't you cry.   
Somebody's got you.   
Rockabye baby, rockabye-  
I'm gonna rock you.   
Rockabye baby, don't you cry.  
Rockabye...”

Pete finishes feeding him and rinses out the bottle before heading back upstairs with a now sleeping baby. She kisses his head. “I love you.” She lays him in his crib and lays back down on her bed. Mahaz has his own room, but she wanted to keep him close to her for now, especially now that they know he’s blind. She sighs and closes her eyes, wishing Raven could be up here with her. She promises herself that tomorrow, she’ll bring Mahaz and they can go on a family day in one of the domains. 


	4. Chapter 4

Ori lays in bed alone holding her lightfury. She sighs when she gets a knock at her door. She ignores it and throws the cover over her head. “Ori?” Sham knocks again. Ori puffs and curls in more. Sham leans on the door. “Ori... please don’t talk to me...” Ori frowns and closes her eyes. “What’s wrong?” Ori opens her mouth she tries to talk she really does but can't. She tries to scream but nothing. She wants to disappear. Sham opens the door. “Ori?” Ori whines and rolls over but still hiding in the covers. Sham goes over and sits next to the bed. He offers his hand. Ori takes it. Sham rubs her hand _. ‘I’m here for you.’_

_'I can't talk._ '

Sham frowns. _‘Do you know why?’_

Ori shrugs _'Comes and goes. Probably with self-worth or something.'_

Sham continues to rub her hand. _‘What’s wrong?’_

_'It’s about... Us... Having sex.'_

_‘Okay.’_

Ori sighs _'It was weird, it felt good, I felt in control but also out of control. I felt myself slip away and it's like I came a different person.'_ Sham nods. _'I'm scared, I don't want that to happen again.'_

Sham nods again. _‘I don’t either.’_

_'No more sex? At least for now?'_

_‘Okay.’_ Sham offers a hug.

Ori leans on him and relaxes. _'Thank you.'_

_‘Of course. I love you.’_ Sham kisses her head.

Ori smiles "I love you too." She whispers Sham smiles and rubs her back. Ori pulls the covers off and wraps them around Sham sharing her warmth. Sham nuzzles her and lays his wing over her. Ori smiles and closes her eyes. Ori giggles "What was I thinking with that outfit?"

Sham chuckles. "I know."

...  
  
Pete rises up with Mahaz in Raven’s domain. Raven looks at them. "Let's not be in my domain."

“Okay. Mine?” Pete offers a smile.

"Sure." He smiles and they sink out.

They rise up on a cliff, overlooking Roman’s domain. Pete lets Raven hold Mahaz while she sets up the picnic blanket. “We found out he’s blind.” She says.

Raven frowns "Oh..." He waves his hand in front of his face.

Mahaz doesn’t respond, still continuing to explore Raven’s mouth with his hand. Pete looks over. “I think he’s trying to read your lips...”

"Why?" Raven takes his hand.

Mahaz makes happy noises. Pete shrugs. “He’s a baby. He likes to explore.”

"Yeah." Raven rocks him. Pete sits down and pats the spot next to her. Raven sits down. "Does he even know it's me?" Pete watches Mahaz reach around Raven’s neck like he’s looking for something. He finds the collar of Raven’s jacket and holds it instead.

“I’m not sure.”

Raven holds him close. "Why is he blind?"

“We don’t know. Logan said something about it might have to do with his trait, but since he was born early it could be that too.” Mahaz blows raspberries.

Raven smiles softly and pokes his nose. "What trait would make you blind?" Mahaz blinks and gasp, waving his arms around happily. Raven notices his baby blue eyes are changing into multiple colors. Raven stares. "Pete look at this."

“What?” Pete looks over and blinks. “Are- does he have rainbow eyes?”

"I don't know but _that_ is not normal." Raven waves his hand. Mahaz still doesn’t react. "Still blind." He frowns. Pete nods. Raven pets his head.

Mahaz hums. Pete hands Raven a sandwich. “So how have you been?”

Raven shrugs "It's boring without you."

Pete smiles softly and kisses his cheek. “Hopefully we figure out Mahaz’s trait soon so we can stay down with you.”

"That's only if it's negative."

“I’m a positive trait and I can be down there, and it doesn’t affect me.” Pete shrugs and picks daisies. “Then again... I was able to move Sloth’s room... I never did figure that out.”

"You're powerful." Raven smiles

Pete smiles and kisses Raven gently, sticking a daisy in his hair. “You’re cute.” She smirks. Mahaz claps.

Raven blushes "Well your beautiful."

Pete giggles. “You’re handsome.”

"Your..." Raven thinks but then looks down. "You’re my everything."

Pete holds his hand and lays her head on his shoulder. “I know.”

Raven rests his head on her. He holds Mahaz's hand. "I'm so sorry I told you to get rid of him."

Pete shakes her head. “I forgive you. You didn’t mean to hurt anyone, you were just scared.” Mahaz plays with his hand and sucks on one of Raven’s fingers.

"Ok. He has your nose." Pete giggles. Raven smiles and eats his sandwich. Pete eats hers as well. Mahaz smells and tries to grab for Raven’s sandwich. Raven pulls it away. Mahaz makes grabby hands.

Pete giggles. “Nooo! I still have milk for you and besides, you already got lunch.” She boops Mahaz’s nose. Raven holds his hand. Mahaz sticks his other hand in his mouth. “No Mae.” Pete pulls a teething ring out if the basket and puts it in his mouth instead. Mahaz chews on it.

"Here you hold him, I'm hungry," Pete smirks and takes Mahaz, rocking him. Raven continues eating his sandwich.

Pete nuzzles Mahaz. “What do you want to do?”

"I don't know, I could just watch your pretty face." Pete blushes. Raven gently kisses her. Pete closes her eyes and kisses back. Raven lays down on the ground. Pete lays next to him, Mahaz on top of her. Mahaz plays with her hair and gurgles. "You think I would be better as someone else?"

“What do you mean?”

"Like... What did Terra call him? Bell?"

Pete frowns. “But I like you.”

"But what if I was better... As him?"

Pete sits up and cups Raven’s face. “I didn’t know him, but I know you and to me, you’re perfect.”

Raven cups her face. "You’re the only one who thinks that."

Pete sighs. “You need to apologize to the others. That’s the first step.” Raven looks away. Pete pets his face. “When you’re ready.” Raven lays back down. Pete snuggles up to him and holds his hand. Her breath suddenly catches. “Where’s Mahaz?”

Raven sits up. "YOU LOST THE BABY!?"

Pete sits up. “He’s not here. Someone took him!”

"Who would take him?" Raven stands up.

“I don’t know! Check the dark side I’ll check the light side.” Pete sinks out. She rises up outside Roman’s door and knocks hurriedly. “DAD!” Roman opens the door. “MAHAZ IS GONE! I DON’T KNOW WHERE HE IS!”

Nico pokes her head out from behind Roman. “What!?”

Roman's eyes widen. "Ok deep breaths what happened?"

“We were in my domain with Raven and I looked away and then he was suddenly gone, and I couldn’t sense him anymore and, and-“ 

Nico hugs her and rubs her back. “We’ll find him.”

“R-Raven’s checking the dark side.” Pete holds onto her. “He’s so small and blind. I’m scared.”

Nemo comes upstairs, Lue clinging to him as Nemo gives him a piggyback ride. “I’ll start checking the domains.” He tries to peel Lue off, but Lue remains stuck on him, nuzzling him.

"What's with Lue?" Roman looks at them.

“He peeked. Lue please!” Nemo tries again, but Lue whines. Nemo sighs. “Go downstairs. Logan has ice cream for you.”

Lue pouts. “I don wike Logie.”

“O my God, you child.” Nemo runs to Patton’s room and knocks.

Patton opens the door he smirks "Having fun?"

“Take him, please. Mahaz is missing and I need to go check the domains.” Nemo shakes Lue and tries to buck him off. Lue holds on tightly, choking him. 

“Weeeee!” Lue giggles.

Patton nods "Uhhh come to Pappy." Patton tries to take him.

Lue giggles and leaps into Patton’s arms. He nuzzles him. “Pappy.” He purrs. 

“He has a fascination with slime and dresses up,” Nemo says and sinks out.

Patton nods and closes his door. Roman puts his phone away. "I just text everyone to be on the lookout for him."

Pete sniffles. Nico rubs her back. “We’ll find him. Don’t worry.” They feel a shift in the mindscape. Nico frowns and looks to Roman.

Roman goes downstairs. "Thomas?"

Thomas looks up from trying to crawl under the couch. “Roman?” Nico and Pete come downstairs as well.

"What are you doing here?"

Logan looks over and puts down his book. "Are you in some Crisis?"

“Uh. I don’t know. I just took a nap.” He shrugs and looks at Nico and Pete. “Who are you?”

“I’m Pete.” She says. “Perseverance.”

“Oh...” Thomas looks back under the couch and crawls under it. He comes back out, cradling Mahaz. “And who is this?”

“MAHAZ!” Pete shouts, startling him. Mahaz starts crying and Pete rushes forward, taking him and rocking him. “Shhh. It’s okay. I’m sorry. I’m not mad.”

Nico sighs. “I’ll let everyone know.” She pulls out her phone.

Roman nods "Thank Thomas we were worried sick about this little guy."

Thomas smiles. “No problem.” Pete calms Mahaz down and sinks out with him. “Hey- uh. Roman? Last night...” Virgil rises up and leaps onto the counter.

"That wasn't my fault. For once."

Logan jumps "Where did you come from?"

Oh. Okay. But uh- who? Cause...” Thomas takes a deep breath. “I am not ready to be thinking about that with him.”

Virgil looks at Logan and makes finger guns at Thomas. “Panic’s my middle name.”

“I thought Panic was your first name and ‘at the’ was your middle?” Nico smirks. 

“I’m not panicking,” Thomas says. 

Sham falls from the ceiling. “Omph.” He rubs his head.

"I think you are." Logan states. Roman help Sham up.

"To answer your question that would be Lue, your lust."

Thomas blushes. “What?”

“LUE!” Nemo’s voice calls down the hall. 

Lue runs downstairs, wearing Nemo’s Bandito jacket. He giggles. “Look! I’m Nemo!” He hides behind the couch. 

“That’s not yours!” Virgil leaps off the counter. 

Nemo comes down panting. “Where is he?” Virgil points to the couch and they slowly move to corner him, only for Lue to leap over the couch. “NO!” Virgil and Nemo leap, only for Lue to easily dodge them and they to crash into each other.

Roman points to Lue. "Him."

“That- That’s Lue? Lust?” Thomas looks at the childish acting side. 

“He peaked and he’s acting like a mini Roman just less dramatic.” Nemo pulls himself from Virgil. “Lue!”

Sham blocks Lue from going up the stairs. Lue dives to the kitchen, but Nico takes him down. Lue laughs and claps. “Again! Again!”

“Give me my jacket back!” Nemo says. 

“No! My jacket! I’m Nemo! Nemo is cool!”

“Lue how about you be me,” Nico says. 

“No!” Lue pouts. 

“What? You don’t think I’m cool?” Lue looks down before looking up to Nico. He takes off Nemo’s jacket and tosses it to him. Nico smirks and takes off her cloak, laying it on Lue’s shoulders. “There. See? Now everyone’s happy.”

Lue plays with the cloak and looks up to Nico. “I want your hair.”

"No," Roman says pointily.

Lue pouts. Virgil pulls out his phone and starts recording. “Blackmail.”

“Virgil no.” Nemo shakes his head.

Logan sighs and walks over to Thomas. "While the children are playing is there anything I can do to help?"

Thomas shakes his head. “I honestly didn’t even try to come here. I just- fell asleep and then was here. Also, if he’s a dark side, why is he up here?”

"Because he's a light side."

“I don’t... understand?”

"You have an increase of lust, so Lue was brought up to manage it."

"Maybe this is a sign that you need to take the next step with Andrew!" Roman says

"Roman I just told you I wasn't ready."

Logan rolls his eyes "Sex, honestly it's not important."

Roman waves Logan off. "Oh, hush Logan your ace you don't understand the art of making love to the one you love. Let the prince of romance take this one." Roman does a dramatic pose. Logan looks offended.

Virgil hisses. “We are NOT inviting Andrew to BED!”

“I think I found the other part of the problem,” Nemo mumbles to himself. Sham shakes his head and goes back upstairs.

“What’s sex?” Lue blinks.

"it's been a few months why not?" Roman looks at Lue but then waves it off.

Thomas looks at Logan who doesn't look, please. He looks at Roman. "Uh, Roman I think you insulted Logan."

Roman tilts his head. "Whatever do you mean?"

Thomas opens his mouth, but Logan interrupts him. "Oh no, it's ok. Roman is right I know nothing about sex or making love to my partner. Please, prince of romance do tell us more. I'll be in my room. Call me when you need me for paying your bills or working out a schedule that you won't follow." Logan storms upstairs but also looking professional.

Virgil rubs his face. “Good job Roman.” He grumbles.

"What did I say!?"

“What do you think!? You basically told him he doesn’t know how to love!” Virgil runs into him as he walks past and goes upstairs. 

"Oh... My bad."

Nico frowns. “Oh shit.”

Nemo looks at her. “What?”

“If Lue is peaked... Who’s managing all that untamed lust in his room?”

“The what now?” Nemo looks confused, as does Thomas.

"Oh no. Well, luckily no one is in his room. Let's keep it that way." Nemo and Nico look at each other as if having a silent conversation. "What?"

“What’s lust?” Lue frowns.

"I'm ignoring you."

Lue pouts. Nico rubs Lue’s head and Lue closes his eyes, laying down and sighing happily. Nemo looks up at Roman. “Pride vortex caused by an increase in lust?” He suggests.

Thomas rubs his head. “Happy New Year.” He mumbles.

"Pride vortex was caused by Sham and Ori having sex."

Nemo looks to Nico who shrugs. “It... there’s probably more details we don’t know.”

Nemo nods slowly. “Okay... well... Lue managing lust involves him trying to keep it from affecting us. Like a gatekeeper. Nico has a point when there’s no gatekeeper and a flood in that room... the question is how long it will stay in there.”

“Can’t Patton just switch emotions with us and bottle it up?” Nico asks. 

“No. He’d fall into a coma.”

“Oh.”

Thomas sits down and absentmindedly pets Lue’s head. Lue purrs and Thomas watches him. _‘This is really my embodiment of Lust?’_

"Too bad we can't fix Lue or this problem." Roman thinks.

Nemo stares at him. “I sure hope you didn’t mean what I thought you meant.”

"What?"

Nico raises a brow. “You thought he meant... _fix_ Lue?”

“Obviously he didn’t so let’s move on,” Nemo says hurriedly.

Roman thinks "Oh no. God no that's not what I meant at all."

Lue starts falling asleep as Thomas pets him. “Okay... so. What exactly is the problem?” He asks.

"Too much lust, you really need to get some action. You got build up sexual tension."

Thomas blushes. “Oh, so we’re gonna use Andrew to do that?” Nico says. Nemo raises a brow at her.

"Don't phase it like that. We are going to _ask_ if he says no end of story."

“We are not asking. We can handle this ourselves.” Nico says pointedly.

"Not everything can be handled on the inside."

“Yeah. Well, we’re not ready.”

"Well clearly Thomas wants it, or we wouldn't be having this problem."

“Your body can want things when you truly don’t. And besides just because he wants it doesn’t mean he should have it.” Nico crosses her arms. Nemo glances at Thomas who’s slowly curling in on himself. He scoots next to him and wraps his wing around him.

"What is the harm of trying? If Andrew says no, we stop. If we are doing it and we don't like it, we can stop. If Andrew doesn't like it, we can stop. We aren't stuck once we start so why not try?"

"BECAUSE I'M NOT READY!" Nico shouts and Lue startles awake. Nico breathes quickly, hands shaking. "What if we aren't good enough for him? What- what if we're ugly or-or just not his type? What if this ruins our relationship? I-I can't let Thomas go through another breakup. Not when the first one hit you guys so hard and as of now, he's our main support. I can't lose him." Nico sits down and holds herself.

Roman frowns and sits down. "Oh... Nico, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Nico draws her knees up. "You keep charging ahead and not paying attention to who is getting hurt." she covers her mouth. _'Shut up before you give him a bruised ego.'_

Roman frowns "Yeah... I guess everyone has a weakness." Roman moves closer and hugs Nico gently. Nico squeezes her eyes shut.

Nemo rubs Thomas's back and looks at Nico. "Nico. Breathe. It's okay. Your concerns are valid and needed to be said. You did the right thing by speaking up." 

Nico takes deep breaths and leans on Roman. "I'm sorry if I bruised you..."

Roman squeezes her. "You’re going to need to try harder if you want to bruise me." He chuckles. "I'm sorry that I was trying to force you into something you weren't ready for."

Nico relaxes. "It's fine."

"No, it's not fine, it was selfish of me."

Nico sighs. "You'll do better. I know you will." Thomas breathes a bit easier.

"Thanks love." Roman kisses her head.

Nico smiles softly. Nemo smirks for a moment before looking down at Lue who's rubbing his cheek on his thigh. "I don't need another cat. I have Virgil, thanks." Lue bites his thigh and Nemo squeaks and jumps away. "What the fuck!?"

"You ok?"

"Y-yeah he just- he bit me." Nemo blinks. Lue continues rubbing his cheek on the carpet.

"How bad?"

"Not- not bad just shocked me." Nemo kneels down and carefully places his hand on Lue's shoulder. He feels warm to the touch. Nemo frowns. "Lue...?" Lue looks up and purrs lowly. Thomas shifts uncomfortably.

Roman stands up and goes over. "Are you two ok?" He looks at Thomas and Lue.

Lue looks at Roman and purrs. Thomas shivers and blushes. "U-um..."

Roman pets Lue's head. "Horny?" Lue hums and leans into his touch. Nico and Nemo glance at each other. Roman raises a brow at Thomas. He scratches Lue's head. "Plan?"

Thomas shivers more and curls into himself. "Nemo, what's the counter of Lust?" Nico asks.

"Fear..." Nemo watches all of them.

"Can't Thomas just go masturbate?"

Thomas trembles. "I- I have guests..."

Roman sighs "Go get Terra." Nico stands and goes upstairs. Lue crawls into Roman's lap and rubs his cheek on him. He feels like he has a strong fever to Roman. "Nemo, can you get me some ice?"

"Yeah." Nemo goes to the kitchen. He comes back with an ice pack and hands it to Roman. Roman puts it on Lue’s head. Lue moans softly. Nemo sits down and feels Lue's arm. "He's warm everywhere..."

Terra and Nico come down. "Are you sure about this?"

"I can't think of anything else." Nemo says. Lue nuzzles Roman's thigh. Roman blushes and pets his head. Lue purrs and nuzzles his crotch. If Nico were a horse, her ears would be turned backwards.

Roman blushes darker. "You should hurry up Terra." Roman bites his lip. Lue sucks on his pants. Nemo tries to pull him away, but Lue smacks his nose and Nemo drops him in reflex. Thomas breathes quickly, blushing darkly.

Roman pulls his legs up. Terra goes to Thomas. "Sorry about this." Terra's eyes then pitch-black as ink flows from them and quickly spreads around the floors and halls. Once the room is cover and dripping ink Terra's form changes and he grows in height as ink covers him and he grows tentacles and sharp teeth. He grabs Thomas around the throat and raises him in the air. He roars in his face. Spitting ink from his mouth as the ink on his hands goes down Thomas's body. Thomas screams and his body disappears. He shoots up on the couch, panting and holding himself.  
  
...  
  
Lue stops, flashbacks of Roman attacking him flooding his mind. He freezes a moment before screaming and scooting away, accidentally kicking Roman in the face. He keeps scooting backward until he hits the table and falls. He curls up, trembling and crying. He gasps for air but can't get it. _'he's gonna kill me. He's gonna kill me for touching him. He's gonna torture me and cut my dick off and beat me and then I'm gonna die. Please, please I'm sorry!'_ he hyperventilates.

Roman holds his face. "Fuck." Terra sniffs the air and roars he looks towards Lue.

Lue sobs into the ink-covered carpet. Nemo backs away. "This isn't what I had in mind when I said fear!" Nico holds Roman. Terra picks up Lue.

Virgil rises up. "What-" he sees Terra holding Lue and his eyes immediately snap to glowing.

"VIRGIL! NO!" Nemo screams.

**"Fear"** ink covers Lue, but it actually calms him. Like is fear is being drained away. Lue is finally able to breathe, though quickly, and he looks at Terra. Virgil kicks Terra's arm. Terra drops Lue and roars. He punches Virgil and sends him flying towards the kitchen. Nemo catches Virgil and tries to slow them down, but his feathers are matted with ink. They crash into the wall, Nemo laying there and groaning, Virgil taking a moment before getting back up and running towards Terra. A wall of harden ink blocks his path. Terra grabs Lue again and continues. Virgil growls and tries to punch his way through. Lue just cries. He feels so sick, this constant on and off lust is exactly what he was trying to escape. Terra puts Lue down taking the ink off. Virgil breaks the barrier. Lue collapses and heaves. Virgil punches Terra. Terra cries and stumbles he sees Roman. **"Fear"** he throws ink at him that attached to his face. Roman screams.

"NO!" Nico shields Roman and touches the ink. Her eyes glow as shadows encircle the ink, slowly pulling it off and she sweats. Terra growls and a tentacle goes after Roman. Nico takes out her sword and cuts it down. She grabs Roman and sinks out. Virgil leaps on Terra's back and holds him in a chokehold. Nemo lays unmoving in the same position as when he fell. Terra throws Virgil off. Ink surrounds him trapping him in a ball of ink. Virgil hisses and bangs on it. Terra goes to Nemo. He kneels down. Nemo doesn't respond. He looks to be unconscious. Terra frowns and stands up. He seems to be alone mostly. He sighs, the ink slowly goes back to him. He screams and holds his head falling to his knees. The ink continues to go to him. Virgil is free. Virgil growls and stalks towards him. He leaps and tackles him down. Terra doesn't fight back. Soon he's back to his normal form but his skin is still pitch black. Virgil pants and looks at him he blinks and growls lowly. Nemo groans and looks around, disoriented. Lue breathes heavily before sinking out. Terra passes out.

Virgil holds him a moment longer before closing his eyes. He starts giggling and pokes Terra. Nemo looks at them tiredly. He can't move. He barely is able to pull out his phone and scroll through his contacts. He dials Patton. "Hello?"

"P-Patton..." Nemo says weakly.

"Is everything ok?"

"I... Hit my head... Downstairs... Help... Ask Roman..." Nemo closes his eyes.

Patton hangs up and sinks to the common room. "Nemo?" Patton kneels down. Nemo doesn't respond. Virgil continues giggling. Patton looks behind him and sighs "One thing at a time." He picks Nemo up and sinks into Logan's room. "Logan I need your help."

Logan stands up. "What happened?"

"I don't know he said he hit his head." 

"On my bed." Patton lays him down. 

"I'll be back." He sinks back into the commons.

Virgil looks up and giggles. "Pattycake!" Patton picks him up. Virgil holds onto him and laughs. Patton sinks out to the room. "Memeo go smack." Virgil giggles.

Patton frowns he puts Virgil down. He summons a laser pointer. "Virgil look!" He shines it on the opposite wall. Virgil gasps and chases it. Patton escapes while he's distracted. He sinks to Roman's room. Lue is hiding under Roman's desk, torn between wanting to be here to feel safe, or to disappear. Nico kneels in front of the desk, trying to coax him out. She looks over at Patton. Roman rocks himself on his bed. Patton frowns "What happened?"

Nico sighs and stands. "Lue got horny which made Thomas horny so we thought giving Thomas a dose of fear would counteract the lust and it did, but Virgil sensed our anxiety when Terra during into an ink monster. He went into fight or flight and attacked Terra, then got thrown. Nemo caught him and took the brunt of the impact. Terra did something with Lue and then threw ink at Roman. I got it off and brought us here. Lue showed up not long after."

Patton nods "Logan has Nemo, Virgil is in the room, TERRA!" Roman flinches. Patton sinks out. Nico goes to Roman and opens her arms. Roman throws himself at her.

Nico holds him and pets his head. "It's okay... You're safe. I'll protect you." she looks to Lue still hiding under the desk. She pulls out her phone and starts playing Native American flute instrumental.

Roman buries his face. "Don't leave me please, I need you."

"I won't. I promise." Nico kisses his head. Roman relaxes a little. He holds her tight. Nico hums along to the instrumental and massages him. Lue bites his lip. He feels like he's intruding. He sinks out and rises up in Logan's room.

Logan looks up. "Oh, Lue what's wrong?"

Nemo blinks and looks over at Lue. "Who are you?"

Lue holds himself. "S-Sleep..."

Logan takes Lue's hand and guides him to the bed. "Nemo make room."

Nemo frowns and scoots over. "You're sleep?" Lue shakes his head. 

"Sleep meds."

"You can't be a medication. You're a person." Nemo says.

Logan goes over and gets two pills. "He wants sleeping meds." He hands them to Lue. Lue takes them and goes to sink out. "You can stay here; Logical thinking is calming."

Lue shakes his head. "No, I can't." he sinks out to his room.

Nemo frowns. "Who was that?" he rolls his head and winces, readjusting the icepack.

"That was Lue, Thomas's lust."

"Lust?" Nemo sits up and groans, laying back down. "Why's he up here?"

"It's a long story, can you tell me the name of your boyfriend?"

Nemo thinks. "Patton?"

"Correct."

Nemo closes his eyes and smiles. "Is he coming?"

"He said he will be back shortly. Can you name my boyfriend?"

Nemo smirks. "You got stuck with Virgil." he jokes and chuckles.

Logan smirks "I would say I was blessed but I'm biased."

"I mean, he's charming in his own dark mysterious way."

Logan smirks "Yes he is. Ok, name all the sides you know and your relationship with them."

Nemo frowns and thinks. "You. Virgil. Nico. Roman. Friends. Patton, boyfriend. Sham and Terra, son. George... I guess nephew?" he shrugs. "Oh. Pete and Ori." He looks at Logan. "All... All the sides or just the light sides?"

"All sides."

Nemo frowns. "Greed, Lust, Jealousy, Sloth, Insanity, Malice- wait." Nemo's eyes widen. "Oh. Oh, Patton and I were helping Lust... I just- I don't like him."

"Do you know any of the dark sides names?"

"Names? Uhhh..." Nemo thinks. "Well. You told me Lust was Lue. Everyone else, no- oh. Sham... Sham and Lokoi- Insanity. They were together... Right?"

"They were but Sham was straight, so they broke up. Sham is dating Ori now."

Merlin hops on the bed. "When'd you get a bird?"

"Two weeks ago, long story."

"Oh." Nemo looks at the door. "Patton's not here yet..."

"I'll send him a text." Logan pulls out his phone. "Who is Roman's partner?"

"Nico. Romico can't keep their hands off each other." Nemo shakes his head and shivers.

"Wrong, they broke up. Roman and Nico are single."

Nemo looks at him. "I thought they moved past what happened? Understood it was Lust- Lue."

"It's a long story, but it wasn't about that."

"O-oh..." Nemo shivers again and bites his lip.

There is a knock at the door. "Come in." 

Patton opens the door. "Is everything ok?" Nemo offers him a smile, but squirms. Patton comes closer. "Nemo are you ok?"

"He has a concussion and memory loss."

"WHAT!? Oh, my poor baby." Patton cups his face.

Nemo nuzzles him. "I'm okay Daddy..."

Patton giggles Logan looks at them. "No." Logan pulls Patton away. Nemo pouts and smacks Logan's arm, pulling Patton back. Logan rubs his arm. "You have a concussion, and no one is keeping the lust at bay."

"Oh, I'll go soft with him." Patton purrs.

Nemo shivers and licks Patton's neck. "Daddy~"

Logan pinches their necks and knocks them out. "Sorry, it was for your own good." Logan drags Patton to his room. Once Patton is in bed Logan goes to Roman's room. "Roman? Nico?" Roman is holding Nico lovely kissing her neck. Nico shivers and moans, eyes closed. Logan opens the door. "Nico do you need assistance?"

"You mean a three sum? Logan I never thought you would." Logan glares at Roman not amused.

Nico blushes hard. "I mean... You don't have to join- oh!" she throws her head back in pleasure.

Logan sighs "Have fun." Logan closes the door. "I hate sex." He goes to Terra's room. He sees Terra in bed skin black. He whimpers and kicks. Logan frowns and leaves. He goes to George's room.

George is playing with Bananas. He looks up and gasps. "Papa!" he runs over and hugs Logan's leg.

Logan picks him up. "You are the only sane one left." George giggles. Logan sits in his bed. "Let's read a book."

George claps. "Okay!" Logan picks a book up and starts reading it.


	5. Chapter 5

Lue wakes early the next morning, sweat soaking the sheets. He looks around his room and realizes he can barely breathe. He sits up and sinks into the commons. He finds the time to be 4:51 am. He frowns and sets a pot of coffee, not feeling any desire to sleep soon. He watches it brew and thinks. He pales when he discovers something. "We grinded. Shit, we made out and grinded with Andrew." Lue sinks down to the floor and draws his knees up. "I failed. I was supposed to manage it. Nico. Nico wasn't ready." he cries into his knees. "I'm so sorry. I failed my job... I failed everyone... All because I was selfish."

**"It's ok,"** Terra says now sitting next to him still in the same condition his eyes black filled. Lue jumps and shoots away. He takes deep breaths, placing his hand over his heart. **"Sorry."** Terra pulls his legs up. Lue trembles and shakes his head. He rocks himself for a moment before sinking out. He rises up in his room, hit with the thickness of humidity. He coughs and looks around. _'I have to fix this. Even if it hurts.'_ He lays down on his bed and gets to work.  
  
...

The next morning everyone is at breakfast except Virgil and Terra. They start eating. Lue comes downstairs and grabs a gallon of water, panting. "Lue?" Nemo glances at him. Lue shakes his head and drinks from the gallon. He glances at Roman and Nico's bruises and moves towards the stairs.

"I'm sorry." 

Patton frowns but lets him go. Logan looks at Virgil's empty seat. "Has anyone seen Virgil?" 

Patton jumps up. "Shoot." He sinks out and opens the door. A small bat lands in front of him. "I am so sorry Virgil. Come on let's go back upstairs." Patton offers his hand. Virgil flies up and lands in his palm. Patton sinks back to the dining room. "I forgot about Virgil sorry."

Logan looks at him. "Patton!" Virgil flies over and lands on Logan's head. Merlin caws and swoops down. Virgil hisses at him and ducks. "Oh dear." Logan stands up. " I will be back." Logan goes upstairs Merlin following him up still cawing.

Pete rises up with Mahaz, looking tired. "Is it over?"

Nico looks at her with concern. "Where were you?"

"My domain. I came back, but it didn't feel right so I just grabbed a sleeping bag and stayed in one of the caves." Pete goes to the kitchen and gets a bottle for Mahaz.

"Yeah, that was probably for the best." Roman looks at Ori who looks distant.

Sham doesn't look up, wearing his mint scarf. Nico looks to Nemo. "Did Lue get food?"

Nemo frowns. "No." He stands.

"Has anyone seen Terra? I put him in his room yesterday he didn't look too good and now that Virgil is a bat, we need to use fear to keep Thomas safe instead of anxiety."

"No, I-" Lue rises up and sees Nemo standing like he was going to go upstairs, plate in hand. He takes it from him.

"Stay out of my room."

Nemo frowns. "Okay, but have you seen Terra?"

"Yeah, this morning. He didn't look good."

"What did he look like?" Patton asks

"Skin black. Eyes looked like they were filled with ink. His voice was distorted too." Lue shivers.

"Oh, that is bad. I've never seen him like that." Patton frowns

"Probably my fault." Lue goes up the stairs.

"Lue, wait," Nico calls. Lue stops and looks at her. "Let us help. Please."

"There's nothing you can do. All this happened because I was selfish and gave up. I'm supposed to keep this-" he gestures to everyone. "From happening. And I failed. I'm-" he closes his eyes. "I'm a failure."

Nemo glances at Nico. Nico moves closer. "Lue. You're not a failure-"

"THEN WHAT DO YOU CALL THIS MESS?" Lue backs away.

Nico takes a deep breath. "Lue... do you hear screeching?"

Lue's eyes narrow. "I DON'T HAVE YOUR FUCKING DISEASE!" He runs and slams his door.

Everyone frowns "Sham can you check on Terra?" Patton asks quietly.

Sham nods and sinks out. He rises up outside Terra's door and knocks. "Terra?" No response Sham tries to open the door. The door opens, Terra sits on his bed. The walls and floor cover in a layer of ink. His skin pitch black his whole eye is black. His clothes normally where there is black is now white. He stares at Sham. His hair is black and looks wet as it sticks to his face. "Terra?" Sham carefully steps towards him. Terra tilts his head. He disappears then appears in front of Sham. Sham jumps. Terra analysis him, he grabs his arm. Sham screams and tries to pull away.

Terra holds him tight. **"Shhhh."** Terra drains him of his fear.

Sham shakes, eyes wide. "What- What are you-"

**"Shhh."** Terra continues to drain him. Ink tears fall from his face. Sham closes his eyes. When he opens his eyes, he's in the hallway. He looks and sees Logan coming out of his room, Virgil hanging upside down from his tie, angry squawks heard from behind the door.

Logan sighs he looks up. "Oh, hello Sham." Sham looks back at Terra's door, then at Logan. "Something wrong?" Logan walks over. Sham blinks and tries to open Terra's door. The door opens. Terra is back on his bed. Logan looks inside. "What in the world?"

Sham bites his lip. "I drained him I think..."

Logan looks around. "This isn't good." He looks back at the bed but Terra is gone. He flinches when he sees Terra is right in front of him. Sham tries to pull Logan back. Terra grabs Virgil. "Virgil!" The door closes on him.

Sham tries to open it again. "Virgil! Terra!" The door is locked. Sham tries to sink in.

He appears in the same spot. Logan bangs on the door. "Terra! Open this door!" After a few seconds, Logan disappears.

"LOGAN!" Sham runs downstairs. "DAD!" 

Patton stands up. "What's wrong?"

"LOGAN HAS TERRA AND VIRGIL AND I CAN GET IN!"

"Calm down, why does Terra have Logan and Virgil?"

"I drained him! Ink-" Sham shakes his head and puts his hand over Patton's eyes. Patton relieves Sham's memory of entering Terra's room and Terra draining him. Patton shivers it ends abruptly when Sham is pulled away by Terra who holds him close and puts his hand over Sham's mouth.

Sham screams into Terra's hand and thrashes. Nico stands. "Terra..."

Nemo stands. "What is happening!?"

Sham quickly falls unconscious. Terra lays him down. He looks around at the others. Patton looks at Sham then back at Terra who is right in front of him now. Patton tries to move away but Terra grabs his arm.

"Terra, kiddo please let me go."

**"Shhh."**

Nico raises her hands and shadows wrap around Terra, immobilizing him. "Terra. Enough." Nemo holds onto Patton as Nico pulls Terra away from them. Terra looks unfazed. The lights flicker and Terra is gone.

Nemo looks around. "Where'd he go?" Pete picks up Mahaz and sinks out.

Patton looks at his arm. "Just leave him alone." Roman picks up Sham. Nico drops the shadows.

"What the hell is happening?" Roman asks

Nemo shakes and holds onto Patton. "I- I don't know." he closes his eyes, tears forming. "Why is Virgil a bat? Why is Terra like that? What's wrong with Lue?" He breathes quickly. 

Nico rubs his back. "Nemo, breathe... you don't remember yesterday?"

Nemo thinks and shakes his head. "It's fuzzy."

"He has memory problems from the concussion." Patton holds him. Ori walks up to Roman and takes Sham's hand. Sham groans and slowly opens his eyes.

"Sham are you ok?" Roman asks Ori squeezes his hand.

"N-No..." Sham gives her hand a squeeze back. Roman puts him down. Ori hugs him. Sham hugs her back and kisses her head, holding her close. He breathes easily, at peace.

Roman sighs "Ok Sham is fine but what about Virgil and Logan?"

"Guys stop." Patton says "All Terra is doing is draining us of fear. I'm sure that is why he has Virgil and Logan."

"But Virgil has no fear." Nico points out.

"Maybe he is giving Virgil fear?" Patton shrugs.

"Terra is acting weird that's for sure though. Just look at him!" Roman waves his arms around.

"He's the only one..." Sham watches him and mumbles. 

Nemo breaks into a sob and slides down to the ground. Nico rubs his back. "Emotion breakdown from stress?" Nemo nods through tears. Patton holds him and rubs his back. Logan and a normal Virgil come down the stairs. Nico looks up. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Logan shrugs and holds Virgil's hand.

"My head hurts," Virgil grumbles.

Logan squeezes his hand. "At least you're normal."

"What happened!?"

"Not too sure one minute I'm banging on Terra's door the next I'm in my bed. I check Virgil's room and found him asleep in his human form."

Virgil lays his head on Logan and closes his eyes. "I'm still tired."

"Let me grab you some food and then we can go back upstairs." Virgil nods. Logan grabs their plates. "Oh, as for Terra he's overloading. He's falling into his trait instincts." 

"What does that mean?"

"It means he's trying to keep a balance. Though the more he takes the more likely he is to fall into a coma."

Nico's eyes widen. "Oh..."

Nemo buries his face into Patton as he pets his wings. "How do we stop it?"

"Terra himself needs a drain but that's not possible. He will just have to work it out himself." Logan shrugs.

"I could have drained him at vampire phase..." Virgil mumbles.

Nemo looks up and wipes his eyes. "Would that work?"

"I'd have to be in fight or flight for longer or have to do a lot while I'm in it in order to take that much fear. Or I could leave the bite unfinished until he's been completely drained."

"You are tired. You need food and rest." Logan holds him.

"I need to fix this then I can rest." Virgil kisses Logan's head before he pulls away. "Roman."

"No."

Virgil glares at him. "I need your help."

"I'm not attacking you."

"Not you! The room!"

Roman slaps his head. "Oh right." Virgil sinks out.

Roman sinks out. Logan sighs "I'll get the blood ready." He sinks out.

"Wait, if he's in fight or flight longer, then he will be in giggle phase longer," Nico says. Nemo nods. "I'll go remind them." Nico sinks out.

"How do we get Terra to the room when it's time?" Sham asks.

"We bring Virgil to Terra. He'll follow the person with the most fear." Nemo says.

Patton rubs his back. "We will fix this, but what caused the overload?"

Nemo and Nico look at each other. "Would it really...?" Nico asks.

"I don't know..."

"What?"

"The untamed lust caused the pride vortex..." Nico says.

"Lust cause pride?"

"It makes you feel confident. Sometimes too much." Nico plays with her cloak.

"But would that cause an imbalance of fear?" Nemo asks.

"Lue was pretty scared."

Ori holds Sham close hiding. Patton thinks "You said the whole common room was full of ink but now it's all gone. Terra must have taken all the ink he used back." Sham sinks out with Ori. Nico nods. "Well let's just hope this works." Patton holds Nemo.  
  
...  
  
Roman watches Virgil. He sees he has finally hit the vampire phase. Roman opens the door. Virgil slowly makes his way out, looking between Nico and Roman with a predator like stance. He settles on Roman and starts moving towards him. "I'll be outside Terra's door." Nico sinks out.

"Really I'm more scared than Nico?" Roman sighs "Ok let's go." Roman sinks out. Virgil growls and sinks out as well. Roman sinks in front of Nico. "Ready?" Nico nods and puts her hand on the door handle. Virgil rises up and snarls. Nico opens the door and steps aside. Virgil looks at the open door and sniffs. He walks past Roman and Nico into the room. Terra looks at Virgil tilting his head. Virgil approaches and sniffs. He crawls onto the bed and watches Terra. Terra stares at him. He offers his arm. Virgil sniffs it before licking it and biting him. Roman and Nico wait outside. Terra doesn't move his fear is the tastiest Virgil has ever had. It's hard to describe. Virgil moans and keeps him close, not pulling away. Nico fidgets with her cloak. "They will be fine." Terra lays down, the ink of his walls starts to disappear. Virgil pulls away and lays his head on top of him, closing his eyes and purring happily.

It takes an hour, but all of the ink is gone, and Terra's skin starts to go back to normal. Virgil wakes from his nap and yawns. He looks around the room then down at Terra. He leans down and licks the bite before laying his head on him once more and falling back asleep. Terra breaths shallow his skin pale. He closes his eyes. Roman shakes Nico. "Gets Virgil off I'll get the bag." Roman stands up. Nico stands and goes over to Virgil. She picks him up and sinks into Virgil's room. It feels more eerie than normal. She shivers and lays Virgil down on the bed, quickly leaving and closing the door. She looks behind her as if she's been followed. She takes a few deep breaths and goes back to Terra's room.

Roman is setting up the bag. "Get Nemo." Nico goes to Patton's room and knocks. Patton opens the door.

"Roman said to get Nemo." Patton looks behind him at Nemo. Nemo stands and follows her back to Terra's room.

Roman looks up. "His heartbeat is really slow. It took an hour for his fear to drain." Roman looks worried.

Nemo feels for Terra's pulse. He looks him over. "He needs fluids. When he wakes let's try to get him to drink some apple juice." He rubs Terra's good arm. "He'll be okay. Just watch him." Roman nods and pulls a chair up. Nemo sinks out. He rises back up with a pack of juice boxes and sets them down. "Virgil?"

"His room." Nico sits down. "It gave me the chills."

"What?"

"His room. It felt like I was being watched." Nico shrugs.

"His room does that," Roman says Terra groans.

"No, like as soon as I stepped in." Nico shakes her head. "Nevermind."

"I'll let Logan know Virgil's resting." Nemo leaves.

Terra weakly opens his eyes. "I feel sick." He mumbles.

Nico holds his hand. "I know. Here." She opens a juice box and holds it to his lips. Terra shakes his head. He fights to keeps his eyes open. "Terra, you need to drink. It'll help."

"I don't feel good." He mumbles. Roman pets his head.

"I know." Nico gently pushes the straw in his mouth. Terra drinks it. "Good job." Nico smiles. Terra starts coughing. Nico pulls it away and sets it down.

Terra pulls his hand away from his mouth. "Get Nemo," Roman says looking at the blood on Terra's hand. Terra passes out.

Nico shoots up and sinks out to Logan's room. "Nemo!"

Nemo flinches and stands. "What?"

"Terra's coughing up blood." Nemo's eyes widen, and he sinks out. Logan follows

They raise up Roman stands. "His heart stopped."

Nemo runs over. "Logan get the AED now!" He rubs his knuckle on Terra's collar bone, trying to get a response. Nico rises up. Terra winces.

Roman summons the AED and hands it to Logan. "Get his shirt off."

Nemo allows himself to feel a bit of relief. "He's not brain dead yet." He starts cutting away Terra's shirt.

"Roman, can we get a heart monitor?"

Roman summons a heart monitor. "Clear." Logan shocks him. Nico bites her lip. Nemo checks his pulse.

"Again." Roman holds Nico.

Logan shocks him again. "Clear." Still no pulse.

"Again," Nemo says.

"Clear." Logan shocks him. Nemo checks his pulse. It's weak but there.

"Got it. We need to give him oxygen." Roman summons a mask. Logan puts it on him and starts attaching the heart monitor. "Blood pressure monitor?" Nemo asks. Roman summons one. Logan starts setting it up. Nemo takes the cuff and wraps it around Terra's free arm. He turns it on, and it inflates. They wait a moment to get the reading and Nemo writes it down. Nico sits in the corner, knees drawn up. "He's internally bleeding, but why and where?" Nemo asks.

"We are going to need to strip him and look. We can worry about the why later."

"Let's try a CT scan," Nemo suggests. "Roman? Can you put him in a nightgown?" Roman snaps his fingers changing his clothes.

"We also need a CT scanner." Roman summons one and leans on Nico.

Nico holds him. "Guys slow down..."

"No time," Logan says focus on Terra. 

"I'm fine," Roman assures despite feeling dizzy. Nico shakes her head and sinks out to Roman's room. She lays him down on the bed. "Nico Terra needs me." Roman sits up.

"You can't help if you peak or fall into a coma." She pushes him back down.

Roman sighs "What if Terra dies because I couldn't get them what they needed?"

"Half of the things they asked for Logan has in his room." Nico pets his head. "I'll stay with them and if they need something, I'll get it from Logan's room. If Logan doesn't have it, then I'll come ask you. You stay here and recharge. Speaking of which, call Pete."

Roman sighs "Fine." He pulls out his phone. Nico sinks back into Terra’s room. Logan continues to move around checking everything.

He looks at Nico. "Where's Roman?"

“He’s recharging. He’s on the verge of peaking.” Nemo watches scan come through.

"Oh, right." Logan turns back at the scan.

“There,” Nemo says and points. “Stomach ulcer.” He sighs. “Okay. That won’t be hard.”

Logan nods "Ok let's get to work."

...  
  
Nemo and Logan finish with Terra and left Nico to watch him. Nemo goes upstairs to Lue’s room and knocks. “Lue?” There’s no answer. Nemo sighs and leans on the door. “Look, I’m sorry we keep pushing you. We’re just worried about you and we want to help. You don’t have to go through this alone.” Still nothing. Nemo quietly tries the door and it opens. He sees Lue passed out on his bed, naked and shivering. The air is clear of humidity. Nemo frowns and goes closer, finding a clean blanket and wrapping Lue in it. He looks pale and exhausted. His wrists have rope burn and his collar is leaving a mark on him. Nemo takes the collar off and slips his hands out of the ropes. He picks him up and sinks out to his room to take care of him.

...  
  
Roman walks into Terra's room. "How is he?"

Nico jumps. “Uh- N-Nemo and Logan said he’d be okay.” She squeezes Terra’s hand.

Roman frowns and walks over. "You have been here for too long. Take a break I'll watch him."

“A-Are you sure?”

Roman takes her hand "Yeah, you look ready to jump at a shadow." He points at his eyeshadow. "Take a breather. I'll call if anything changes." Nico holds onto him tightly. Roman rocks her. "It's going to be ok. I promise." Nico takes a shaky breath. She nods and leaves. Roman watches Terra. 


	6. Chapter 6

A few hours later Terra starts to groan and move. Sham looks over. “Terra?” Terra blinks and looks around. Sham stands and holds his hand. “How do you feel?”

"Like I got hit with a truck. What happened?"

Shams sighs and rubs his hand. “You didn’t turn into an ink monster. Logan said you were trying to keep the fear unbalanced. We kept Virgil from going into fight or flight so he couldn’t drain you of fear, but then you were fine, and Nemo and Logan had to let you die.”

"Oh..." Terra sits up and groans.

Sham keeps him down. “Nemo also failed to mention something about a stomach ulcer.”

"I don't know what that means."

Sham shrugs. “I do. We can’t ask Dad later.”

Terra sighs painfully. "Did I hurt anyone?"

“I drained you. I think Lue did too. You drained Virgil and turned him into a bat.”

"I'm sorry."

“It’s not okay.”

"Let's never do that again." Sham nods in agreement "How is Lue?"

“Good.” Terra frowns “I saw him after breakfast.” Terra closes his eyes. Sham rubs his arm. “Stay awake.”

"My stomach hurts."

Sham nods and stands. “I won’t get Logan.” Terra whines and curls up. Sham sinks into Logan’s room. “Terra’s asleep and says his stomach is fine.”

Logan stands up and goes to his medicine cabinet. He grabs what he is looking for and sinks out. He and Sham sink into Terra's room. Logan hands him two pills. Terra takes them and continues to whine. "It will take a minute just hold on." Sham holds Terra’s hand. Terra squeezes his hand. "Terra, do you remember what happened?" Terra shakes his head. Logan nods "Get some rest. Sham continue to watch him and let me know if I'm needed." Sham nods. Logan leaves. Sham sits down and stays with Terra.

...  
  
A melody plays in the darkness, drawing him back. It rises and falls like ocean waves, soothing him. Lue blinks. He feels warm and safe. He rubs his cheek on the fuzzy bathrobe and sighs. He slowly becomes aware he’s wrapped in a knitted blanket. He lifts the edge and reads one of the jokes. ‘What do you call a snake that teaches math? A Pi-thon.’ Lue smirks and looks up, seeing Nemo at his piano, playing the melody he heard in his sleep. He just lays there for a moment, enjoying the peace, though his body aches. Nemo finishes and Lue gives a small applaud. “That was beautiful.”

Nemo turns and smiles. He gets up and walks over. “Thanks. How do you feel?”

“Hmm. Warm.” Lue snuggles into the blanket more. 

Nemo smirks and sits on the edge of the bed, petting Lue’s head. “Yeah.”

“Why am I here?”

“Hmm?”

“In your room. I don’t remember coming here.”

Nemo shakes his head. “You passed out in your room before you could take care of yourself. I brought you here and cleaned you up. You did too much too fast.”

Lue frowns. “I had to.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“You all fucked like mad while I was out because I didn’t do my job.”

“Your job shouldn’t cost you your health.”

Lue sighs and lays his head on Nemo’s leg. “I just- I vowed I would never cause Roman and Nico harm again and if I could I would stop them from being harmed.”

“That is noble of you to do, but you can’t blame yourself every time something goes wrong for them.”

“Roman was going to... help me,” Lue says quietly. Nemo stays silent. “And what about Terra?”

“I don’t think you were the cause of the overload.”

“Well, I certainly didn’t help.”

“None of us could. Besides, it’s over now. Everyone is resting. We’ll wait a bit and figure out what to do from here.”

Lue closes his eyes. “And Andrew?”

“No harm done. He wasn’t uncomfortable, but Thomas is going to have to communicate his... fear about what happened. Who knows, maybe that will be just what Nico needs.” Nemo continues petting Lue’s hair. “Are you hungry?”

“A bit...” Nemo nods and slides off the bed. “Can you take me with you?” Lue asks.

“Sure.” Nemo smiles and picks him up, sinking out. They rise up in the commons and Nemo sets Lue on the couch. He hands him the remote for the TV and heads into the kitchen. “Barbecue chicken?”

“Sounds good.” Lue snuggles in the snake blanket and turns the TV on. Logan comes down the stairs.

Nemo looks over at him. “Hey. Has Terra woken up yet?”

"Yes, he says his stomach hurts and he doesn't remember what happened."

Nemo nods. “Understandable. Is someone with him?”

"Sham is watching him right now."

Nemo nods. “Okay. Barbecue for dinner in about an hour.” He slides the pan into the oven and sets it. He starts preparing side dishes. He gestures Logan over and whispers in his ear. “Lue finished but overdid it. He’s sore and tired, though he’s not going to admit it. I told him his job shouldn’t come before his health, but he feels guilty for whatever happened yesterday. Also said something about Roman?” He looks confused.

Logan shrugs "I don't know but I'll keep an eye on him." He looks at his watch. "Virgil should be waking soon." Nemo nods. Logan sits next to Lue. Lue looks like he’s trying to stay awake, barely comprehending what’s on the TV. Logan glances at him every now and again. He summons a pillow and puts it around Behind Lue's head. Lue doesn’t even realize when he finally loses his fight against sleep and slumps against the pillow. Logan stands up and lays Lue down. He turns the TV off and makes him comfortable. Logan walks back to the kitchen. "He's asleep."

Nemo sighs. “Okay. Thank you.”

Logan nods "I didn't do anything. He was just really tired."

“Yeah...” Nemo stirs the pasta before setting the spatula down. He goes out to the commons and kneels in front of Lue. He watches him sadly. “He abused himself...” he sighs and stands.

"We all have at least once." Logan sighs "Send me to watch him in the future. I'm immune to his lustful energy."

“Okay.”

Logan puts his hand on Nemo's shoulder. "You have that look again."

Nemo looks at him. “What look?”

"The 'I'm going to do anything to make this right even if it kills me' look." Nemo sighs and looks down. "I think you need a vacation."

Nemo laughs dryly. “No. Not right now.”

"Nemo you are going to be a nervous wreck. I see the patterns. It's honorable but Lue isn't going to talk to you. He needs someone he knows he can't hurt."

Nemo closes his eyes. “You’re right...”

"After dinner, take Patton and go on a date. Just something nice and relaxing. I'm sure Patton will be thrilled."

Nemo nods then frowns. He looks up. “But what if-“

"I will call you if you are needed."

Nemo sighs and nods. “Okay.”

Logan pat's his back. "Ok, you go work on dinner I'm going to check on Virgil." Logan stands up Nemo goes to the kitchen. Logan goes upstairs and knocks on Virgil's door before opening it. "Virgil?" There’s no answer. Logan moves over to his bed. "Virgil?" He puts his hand on his shoulder and gently shakes him.

“Hmm...” Virgil remains asleep. Logan sighs and sits down. He holds his hand. Virgil curls up to him. Logan crawls into his bed and holds him.

...  
  
Nemo comes up about ten minutes later. “Hey. Do you want me to bring you a plate?” Logan looks up from Virgil he pets Virgil's face moving his bangs. Virgil still doesn’t respond.

Logan frowns and crawls out of bed. He opens the door. "He hasn't woken up yet. I'm getting a little worry about him. He's never been out this long."

“He went into fight or flight twice in less than 24 hours.” Nemo looks at him then at Logan who has eyeshadow forming under his eyes.

"Maybe we should get some equipment set up and monitor him. Make sure his heart doesn't stop or something."

“Logan.” Nemo puts his hand on his shoulder. “Just let him rest. We’ll keep checking on him. Right now-“ Nemo pushes him out and closes the door. “We’re having dinner.”

Logan that's a deep breath. "Right, yeah he'll be fine." Logan looks at the door. "Maybe-"

Nemo wraps his wing around him and walks him downstairs. “He will be fine.” He smiles reassuringly.

Logan continues to take deep breaths "Ok-WAIT! Terra."

“Shh. He’s okay. I just checked with Pete.”

"Pete? I thought Sham was watching him."

“They switched out because Terra’s room was starting to affect him.”

"Oh right, ok, ok. Everyone is ok." Logan continues to calm down. Nemo rubs his back and guides him to the table. Everyone is already there except Pete, Terra, Virgil, and Lue.

"We need to be quiet, so we don't wake Lue," Patton whispers. Logan nods and sits down. 

"Why?" George asks in normal volume.

"Because he's sleeping," Patton whispers.

"Shouldn't he be eating?" George asks

"Shhh whispers George."

"Shouldn't he be eating?" George whispers.

Nemo sits down. “I’ll make sure he gets food when he wakes up.” He catches Logan’s look. “Or someone will.” Logan nods towards Patton.

Nemo looks down, trying to think of how to start. He looks up. “Hey... Patton?”

"Yes?" Patton smiles

“Would you... like to go somewhere? With me?”

"Like on a date?" Patton beams. Nemo smiles sheepishly and nods. Patton squeals "Oh Nemo I would love to!" Roman shhs Patton, Patton blushes "Opps sorry."

Nemo chuckles. “Okay. After dinner.” He winks. Patton giggles and eats a little quicker. Lue groans from the couch. Logan looks over he gets up and goes over and massages his head.

Lue blinks. “I fell asleep, didn’t I?” He says monotone.

"Yes."

Lue sighs. “Dinner’s ready if you’re hungry,” Nemo calls. Lue moves to get up and winces. He pushes through and makes his way to the table. He sits down and bites his lip. Nemo makes him a plate and gives it to him.

“Thanks.” Logan sits down and continues to eat.

Lue eats slowly almost forcing himself. Nemo frowns. “You okay?”

“I’m starving but eating makes me feel sick.”

Nemo nods. “Here. I’ll get you some soup.” He stands and goes to the kitchen. He remembers when Virgil would make him soup after rough days. He closes his eyes a moment before continuing. Lue pushes his plate away slightly, still buried in the snake blanket. Nico glances at him with concern. 

“I’m fine. Just haven’t eaten in a day and threw up my last meal.”

"You’re not fine," Roman says. "You’re sick and should be resting."

“I’m not going anywhere.” Lue rests his head on the table.

"Lue please you need rest," Patton begs

“I’m fine. I’m not doing anything.” Lue mumbles. Roman rubs his back. Nemo comes back with the soup. Lue hesitantly sips at it.

Roman looks at Logan. "How's Terra?"

"Still recovering but he is in no danger" Logan answers Roman nods

"Good." Lue’s eyes start closing. Sham quickly scoots his soup out of the way as Lue’s head hits the table. He jolts awake.

"Lue go to bed before you hurt yourself," Logan warns.

“I’m fine.” Lue rubs his head. Sham sighs.

"No, you’re not. Go sleep now."

“You’re one to talk.”

“Lue-“

“No Nemo. You are too. You both overwork and sacrifice your own health to do so and then you tell me not to. You can’t tell me to do something and then do the opposite! And besides the point, it’s not constant. It comes and goes. I just got selfish and left it and then last night happened and so I go and try to make things right but noooo! I’m in the wrong for not taking care of myself but resting is exactly what brought on this mess!” Lue hides his face.

Logan frowns "That is fair. I and Nemo tend to be hypocrites, but that doesn't make use wrong. Yesterday was not _normal_. I might not know how to do your job but there has to be a better way than this."

  
Lue shrugs and stirs his soup. “We know what it’s like to believe that everything and everyone depends on you doing your job. We understand what it’s like to believe you’ve failed.”

“Nemo enough.” Lue mumbles. Patton puts a hand on Nemo’s shoulder.

“Lue, we’re here for you-“

“How well did that work last time?” Lue cuts Nico off, glancing at Roman before looking back down.

Roman looks at Nemo. "Enough just leave him alone." Lue relaxes a bit. Roman goes back to eating. Nemo finishes and stands. He offers his hand to Patton.

Patton takes it and stands. "Don't wait up." He giggles. Lue looks away, trying to not imagine him and Evan in the same position. Nemo smiles lovingly and they sink out.

"Movie anyone?" Roman asks. 

"Sorry but I need to keep an eye on Terra and Virgil," Logan says.

“You can’t stay in their rooms and besides, Pete is watching Terra right now. Just bring Virgil down here.” Nico says.

"He's resting."

“Then carry him.”

"I don't want to move him from his room. He might need his room's energy."

"Well Nico's right you can't stay there either. He's resting? What is there to check?"

Logan opens his mouth but then closes it to not sound stupid. He thinks "I suppose that's true."

“You can still occasionally check on him too. You aren’t glued down here.” Nico says.

"Right ok a movie might be nice." Lue snores, head resting on the table again. Sham sighs and stands up. He picks him up and sinks into Lue’s room. He lays him on the bed before rising up in the dining room and starting on dishes. "What movie?" Logan asks

"I don't know and don't care, anything is fine." Roman stands up. They all get ready for the movie becoming a pile on the couch. In the middle of the movie, Pete came down to switch out with Ori and to eat. Logan later went up to check on Virgil. He sneaks into his room and shakes him gently. Virgil hums and swats at Logan.

Logan sighs "Ok my Galaxy." Logan kisses his head. Virgil purrs. Logan chuckles. He takes off his tie and hands it to Virgil. Virgil rubs his cheek on it and smiles in his sleep. Logan heads back downstairs and continues watching the movie.  
  
...

Lue shoots up, panting. He shakes and looks around, seeing he’s in his room. His eyes widen and he tries to sink out, not paying attention to where he’s going. He rises up in Evan’s room. Evan looks up. "Oh Lue-" Lue crawls onto the bed and throws himself at Evan, shaking and on the verge of tears. Evan holds him. "What's wrong?"

“Everything.” Lue grips him tightly.

Evan rubs circles into his back. "I've got you now."

Lue cries. “I miss you.”

"I miss you too." Evan kisses his head.

Lue sobs violently. “It’s my fault. It’s my fucking fault.”

"What is?"

“Everything. I can’t come back until I control the lust but instead, I give up and then the next thing I know is we grind on Andrew and everyone else is acting like they’ve spent hours in my room.” Lue takes quick breaths. “Then I fuck myself all day to get rid of it and Nemo tells me I’m overworking.”

Evan looks at his wrist. "You have rope burn."

“It’s not that bad.”

"I wish I could help you. It was a lot easier when you weren't scared of it."

Lue sniffles and buries his face into Evan. “I’m sorry...”

"You don't need to apologize to me."

Lue shakes his head. “R-Roman.”

"What about him?"

“They sent him to talk to me. He offered to help but then stopped. Then my room started affecting him and... Sham came and took him.” Lue takes deep breaths. “B-but I-“ he chokes up.

Evan holds him. "Did he touch you?" He almost growls.

Lue trembles and rethinks what he was going to say. "No clothes came off..."

"He touched you, I swear the next time I see him-"

"It wasn't his fault! I asked him too!" Lue covers his mouth.

"What."

Lue lowers his head, giving up on trying to wipe away tears. "There was a buildup of untamed lust and I told him that I couldn't come down here to you because it had to be done in my room and by then he was already gone and started massaging me and I didn't stop him and then we were making out and then-" he gasps for air. Evan looks heartbroken. Lue tries to say more but can't. All he can do is whisper "I'm sorry" over and over. Evan slowly lets Lue go. Lue sobs and covers his mouth. Evan sits up and throws his legs over the bed. He stares at the floor and rubs his face. Lue stuffs the snake blanket in his face, trying to muffle his crying.

"Why was he in your room. Why _him_?"

"I- I don't know."

Evan shakes his head. "I need to think about this." Lue sniffles and nods. He sinks out. Evan covers his face and screams.   
  
...

Lue rises up in Roman's room and looks around. _'Why am I here? Why did I come here?'_ he curls up on the floor and cries quietly. Nico and Roman come in after the movie's over. "Lue?" Nico kneels down.

"What are you doing here?"

Lue takes deep breaths. "I- I don't-" he coughs. Nico rubs his back. Lue breathes easier and looks up at Roman. "When you offered to help, was that you or my room?" Nico blinks and looks to Roman.

Roman sits down. "Both."

"Define help." Lue shakes. Nico rocks him.

Roman shrugs "You said you were getting bored doing it yourself. Now I know you're kinky as fuck, so I was just going to massage you until you we're done but your room had other plans." Lue continues taking deep breaths. Roman sighs "I'm sorry if I cause you destressed."

Nico rubs his head. Lue shakes his head and hides his face. "I- I wanted-" he bites his tongue and starts crying harder again. 

Nico sighs. "You wanted him, but you didn't want to hurt us again, right?"

Lue gives a small nod. "And- E-Evan..."

"I am truly sorry."

"I-It's not your fault. Y-you're n-not the animal."

"Lue you are not an animal." Nico states.

"No one is an animal," Roman says determine. "Look on the bright side. We didn't have sex and Andrew doesn't hate us. Everything is fine."

Lue pulls the snake blanket over his head. "No, it's not..."

"What do you mean?" Nico asks gently. Lue stays silent. Roman turns his TV on and watches it.

Lue's crying completely stops. Nico continues rocking him for a bit while he stares at the ground. _'How bad can I really make things if I handle them like before?'_ he thinks and moves to get up, but Nico holds him. "Let me go unless you want to get fucked."

"You won't," Nico says, unfazed. Roman continues to watch the show laughing when something funny happens. Nico glances at him. Lue takes that opportunity to punch her in the face. Nico falls back and holds her nose. "FUCK!"

"I mean if you insist." Lue stands and drops the blanket but doesn't move towards her.

Roman goes to Nico. "Fine just go!"

Nico sits up. "Wait-" Lue sinks out. She sighs. "He's reverting." she pulls her hand away and there's blood. Roman summons a tissue and hands it to Nico. "Thanks." Nico takes it and holds it over her nose, wincing. "He's reverting to what worked before to protect him, but he's not going to hurt us."

"Good but also bad." Roman sighs "We can try again tomorrow."

Nico nods and winces again. "For a moment I thought you left a hologram and went to talk to Evan."

"Oh no, I was hoping to put a distraction on. It didn't work."

"I don't think he's a comedy guy..."

"I don't know him well. Still, don't know why you thought he would listen to me."

Nico sighs. "I don't know. Maybe we were wrong. Maybe he just knows we know and is trying to not show it. Who knows?"

"I don't." Roman stands up. "But I'm going to bed."

"Okay." Nico stands and makes her way to the door, dabbing her nose with the tissue.

"Night Nico."

"Goodnight Roman." Nico closes the door and goes to put the snake blanket in Nemo's room before going to her own.  
  
...   
  
Lue rises up in his room. Logan looks up from his book. "Hello, I hope you don't mind I clean your room a little."

Lue growls slightly. "What are you doing here!?"

"Watching you." Logan flips his page.

Lue blinks. "Watching me?"

"I told Nemo I'll keep an eye on you. It was the only way to get him off your back and take a break."

"And what about Virgil and Terra?"

"Virgil is sleeping and Terra is already being watched."

Lue shakes his head. "You can't stay here."

"Yes, I can. I'm the only one that can stay here."

"You may be Logic and ace, but that doesn't give you complete immunity from my room for long periods of time. You still feel lust, as we learned from the lust bottles affecting you, it's just not strong like everyone else." Lue goes to his closet and starts looking through his clothes.

"I was drug before I was given the lust bottle. Also, you don't seem to understand how lust works."

Lue throws a shirt a crossed the room. "Just get out."

"Lust for someone comes from a sexual attachment to someone, but I don't have a sexual attachment. I'm not even sexual interested in Virgil and he's my lover. Your room gives me a physical reaction by giving me a stimulus, but I still lack the mentality to do anything. So, I will not leave." Lue sighs and sinks out. He rises up beside Logan and grabs his wrists, dragging him towards the door. Logan pulls his arm out. "I am just assigned to watch you. We do not need to talk."

"And I don't want you watching me. Goodnight!" he runs into Logan, knocking him out the door. He throws his book at him and slams the door shut.

Logan picks his book up and walks back to his room. "No need to get Nemo involved." He closes his door.  
  
...

Virgil groans and blinks. He looks around his room, disoriented and sick. He whines and holds his stomach. He fishes his phone out of his pocket and turns it on, but the blinding screen makes his stomach flip. He pushes through and sees it's near 6 am. He bites his lip and calls Logan. Logan groans from being awakened by his phone. He answers it without looking to see who's calling. "Hello?" He mumbles.

"Lo..." Virgil whines. "Can- you help?"

Logan is awake. "I'm on my way." Logan jumps out of bed and runs to Virgil's room. He goes over to him. "I'm here."

Virgil whines and holds his stomach. "Sick."

Logan hands him two pills. "Here." Virgil takes them and swallows. He coughs a bit. Logan summons a water bottle. Virgil takes it and sips it. Logan rubs his back.

Virgil sighs and leans on him. "Terra?"

"He's fine." Virgil nods and closes his eyes. Logan just continues to rub his back happy that he's awake. Virgil falls asleep again and slumps against him. Logan sighs and yawns. He puts the covers over them and goes back to sleep.

…

Patton wakes to Nemo gently kissing him all over his face. "Wake up love..."

Patton giggles "Morning Angelfish."

"Morning honeybee." Nemo pulls away, smiling he offers him a tray with a plate of breakfast and a cup of coffee. "Breakfast in bed."

Patton smiles "Aww that's so sweet." Nemo beams and sets the tray down. He picks up some eggs and holds them to Patton's mouth, smiling sweetly. Patton giggles and takes a bite.

"Did you have fun last night?" Nemo gets another bite ready.

"I had so much fun. It was nice to just relax."

Nemo nods and kisses his hand. "Yeah... I'm sorry that was long overdue."

"It's fine. It was worth the wait." Patton kisses his hand back. Nemo chuckles and gives him another bite. Patton hums looking at Nemo lovingly. Nemo smirks. He dabs jelly off the toast and onto Patton's nose, giggling. Patton looks at his nose causing his eyes to go cross.

Nemo contiues giggling. "You're adorable."

Patton giggles "Well now you need to clean it."

Nemo smirks. "Oh really?"

Patton smirks "Yes, you made it. You clean it."

Nemo tickles his chin. "But you look so cute with it."

Patton giggles "Stop!"

"Whaaaaat?" Nemo grins and keeps going.

Patton squirms "N-Ne-mo-mo-mo" he squeals.

Nemo laughs. "Is someone ticklish?" he stops and licks Patton's nose. Patton takes a minute to calm down. Nemo boops his nose. "You okay baby?"

"I'm ok Daddy~"

Nemo freezes and shivers. "Fuck... Is that what you feel when I call you that?"

Patton smirks "What you mean _Daddy_?" Nemo moans under his breath and gazes at Patton hungrily. Patton giggles "You know the rule." Patton pokes his nose. "No sexual activity."

Nemo huffs. "But I'm fiiiiiine! My head doesn't hurt anymore."

"I know but this is for Lue." Patton kisses his hand.

Nemo sighs. "Okay." Patton smiles. He picks up the toast and offers it to Nemo. Nemo blushes and nibbles it. Patton giggles and sips his coffee.

Nemo kisses his cheek lovingly. "Promise me I can be Daddy later..." he whispers quietly.

"Promise." Patton kisses his cheek. Nemo smiles and nuzzles him. 


	7. Chapter 7

No one's seen or heard from Lue in two days. Almost everyone's tried to coax him out of his room, but he never responds, and the door is always locked. "Just leave it alone," Terra begs Nemo paces the commons.

"Terra's right we have tried everything. Lue doesn't want our help." Roman says

Nemo sits down and covers his face. _'Oh. He actually sat down for once.'_ Virgil thinks.

"And what if it happens again?" Nemo asks.

Patton hugs him. "We will cross that bridge when we get to it." Nemo sighs and leans on him. Terra sits down and hugs his leg.

Nemo pets his head. "His insecurities have been running strong." Nico mumbles.

"Terra looks tired." Roman whispers to Nico.

Nico glances at him and nods. She sits down and holds his hand. "You okay?"

Terra nods "I'm fine." Sham hisses.

Terra squeezes Nemo's leg. Roman comes over. "Come on you need a nap." Roman tries to take him but Terra whines.

"Shhh..." Nemo holds Terra and continues petting his head. He wraps his wings securely around him. _'What is it?'_

Terra holds into him. _'Nothing.'_

_'Terra stop lying.'_

Terra sighs "Nightmares." He mumbles

"Okay. Who's?" Nemo rubs his back.

"Lue's." Terra yawns and closes his eyes. "He's scared."

Nemo nods. "What are they about?"

"Dying or Everyone fucking without consent." Terra shrugs "He's scared he can't stop the lust."

Nico nods. "That's his insecurity."

"I don't like his dreams. It's gross."

"Yeah..." Nemo rocks him. "Get some rest."

"Ok." Terra holds Nemo. Nemo picks him up and sinks out.

Roman sighs "We could have Patton break down the door."

"I'm not breaking down the door."

"Yeah. That's invading his space." Virgil says.

"Has anyone heard from Evan? He might know what to do." Logan suggests. Sham shakes his head. Logan frowns

Nemo rises up and sits down. "Umm..." Nemo looks over to the stairs and sees Lue wrapped in a bathrobe, blushing and shaking.

"Lue!" Nemo runs over and hugs him. Lue bites back a whine.

Patton goes over. "Are you ok?"

Lue hides his face against Nemo. "Help..." he whispers. 

Nemo rubs his back. "What do you need?"

"I- uh. I... The vibe... Too deep. It's uh. Kind of stuck." he says extremely quiet.

Nemo's eyes widen. "How long?"

"A day..."

Nemo glances back at Logan and nods for him to follow. "Can you walk?"

"Not really." 

"Okay. We'll be back." Nemo says to everyone and sinks out to Logan's room.

Logan rises in his room. "What's wrong?"

Lue stays firmly hidden against Nemo. "There's a stuck intrusive object," Nemo says and lays him down. Lue hides his face in the pillow.

"Oh... What exactly do you want _me_ to do?"

"I can handle it. I just need to borrow some supplies from your room."

"Ok, you do whatever but clean it afterward." Logan heads towards the door.

"I will." Nemo grabs a pair of gloves.

Logan looks at the birdcage. He goes over and takes Merlin. "It's feeding time." Merlin chirps happily. Logan takes him out of the room.

...  
  
Nemo tries to perform the operation as quickly and gently as possible without getting Lue worked up. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen. The good news is, the intrusive object is out. Lue curls up tightly while Nemo cleans up. "T-Thanks..."

"Yeah. No problem." Nemo says, ignoring his own blush. "Is this why you weren't around?"

"Eh... Partially."

"Okay. What was the real reason?" Lue doesn't answer. "Lue, we know about the nightmares. That's not going to happen."

"It can."

"But it won't." Lue sighs. He sits up and winces. He goes to sink out and Nemo quickly grabs his wrist before he does. They rise up in Patton's room and Lue yanks his wrist away. He goes to the closet where the bottles are kept and opens it. There are very few bottles left now, but a pink one remains. He grabs it. "What are you doing?" Nemo asks.

"Practicing." Lue goes to sink out again and Nemo quickly grabs his arm. They rise up in Lue's room.

"For what?" Nemo questions.

Lue pours the bottle on his floor. The vapors rise and form into humidity. "Next time." he watches the vapors for a moment before turning to Nemo. "Get out."

"But-"

"Out." Lue sinks him out to the commons before quickly sinking back to his room. Nemo blinks.

"What Happened?" Logan asks.

"We finished, I cleaned up, he grabbed a lust bottle from Patton's room and dumped it on his floor, then kicked me out."

"Why would he take a lust bottle?"

"Practice." Logan answers. Nemo nods.

"But if he fails?"

"I will be in my room with Terra and George," Logan says

"I'll take Mahaz to my domain and stay there," Pete says.

'Can I join you?' Ori signs.

Pete nods. "Of course." she smiles.

Ori smiles. Patton looks around. "Oh, come on! Give Lue a little credit." He pouts.

Nemo holds Patton. "He's trying."

"Yeah, but you're the one who's always saying we need a plan B," Virgil says. Nemo sighs.

"If you don't mind having sex if it comes to that then nothing to worry about. If not, then make a plan to keep yourself away." Logan says Roman looks at Nico. Nico glances at him.

"What do you want to do?"

"I was going to ask you."

Roman shrugs "I'm fine with whatever." Nico blushes slightly and nods. "So?"

"Um- yeah."

Roman sighs "Are we having sex or not. Cause that's not a clear answer."

Nico looks down. "I'm okay with it but I don't want you to feel pressured."

Roman sighs and takes Nico's hand and sinks out to his room. "Ok, what's wrong?"

"Nothing just-" Nico sighs. "What are we?"

Roman sits down on his bed. "What do you mean?"

Nico shakes her head. "Us. You and me. If we're not dating but we're having sex what does that mean?"

Roman shrugs "Nothing, there is no term for it. Some people but have a moral stance for or against the idea of having sex when they’re not dating but that's a person by person case."

Nico plays with her cloak. "I'm just... I don't want to cross the boundaries. I- I want to, but..." she looks up, searching for the right words. "I don't know. I'm just... Confused." she sits down and lays her head on him.

Roman pets her head. "Ok then here is what we do. Until we figure this out. No more sex."

Nico nods. "Okay."  
  
...  
  
Lue cries into his sheets, oversensitivity taking its toll on his neglected body. He aches and grips the sheets. He feels darkness creeping in the corners of his vision. _'No. Not yet... Not done...'_ his room gets more humid by the minute. He whimpers and feels himself slipping. The vibe is too much. Everything is too much. He turns the vibe off and pulls it out before collapsing. _'I've failed...'_


	8. Plan B (Skippable)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short kinda summary of Everyone getting fucked, mostly Lue.

Patton looks up. He pulls out his phone and texts Everyone. 'Plan B.' Logan looks at his phone. He goes and picks up George and Terra and takes them to his room. He locks the door. Pete, Ori, Mahaz, and Sham sink out to Pete's domain. Roman goes to the imagination. Patton goes to Nemo's room. He locks the door. Virgil stays in his room, wanting to see if its energy will protect him. Nico sinks out to the Imagination as well.

...  
  
The others come back later that evening, only to find the mindscape still feels off. Nico glances at Roman. Virgil comes downstairs, panting. "Virgil?" Pete questions. Virgil shakes his head and whines. 

"Kids, go back to Pete's domain." Nico runs past Virgil, Roman sinks out.

Terra takes George and leaves. Logan goes over to Virgil. "Virgil?"

Virgil purrs and looks at Logan longingly. "Logan you should stay too..." Sham says.

Logan nods "Right..." He goes to pass Virgil.

Virgil wraps his arms around Logan's waist. "Staaaar~"

"Virgil let go you’re not yourself." Virgil moans and sucks on Logan's neck. "V-Virgil." Logan tries to push him away. Virgil holds him tightly and nibbles. "A little help," Logan begs Pete gives Mahaz to Sham and runs up to them. She tries to pull Virgil off, but he just yanks his arm away and continues. "Virgil please," Logan begs and fights his hold. Virgil licks his neck and grinds on his butt. Sham sinks out with Mahaz. Pete grabs Virgil's arms and pulls them away from Logan, panting. Sham rises up and he wraps his arms around Virgil and drags him away while Virgil whines. "Thank you." Logan runs upstairs.

Virgil whines on the ground before getting up and looking at Sham, but Pete is already on him, kissing Sham deeply and moaning. Sham squeaks and sinks them out to Pete's domain. Virgil shivers and goes upstairs. He claws at Nemo's door and whines. Patton looks at the door holding Nemo. "We need to do something about Virgil."

Nemo hums and licks Patton's neck. "Baby boy doesn't mind sharing Daddy, right~?"

Patton shivers "Yes baby boy does mind."

Nemo smirks. "Hmm. I guess I'll have to give you a lesson..." he flicks his wrist and the door opens. Virgil comes in and it closes. Nemo looks at him. "Strip." Virgil shivers and obeys.

Patton closes his eyes. "No stop." Nemo pulls Patton into a passionate kiss. Patton moans.

Nemo pins him to the bed. "Listen to Daddy."

Patton pants "I don't want Virgil. I just want you." Nemo bites his neck. Patton moans "Daddy please." Nemo moans and bites harder. He grinds gently on Patton and looks over to Virgil. He nods behind himself and Virgil blushes darkly. He sits behind Nemo and wraps his arms around him while Nemo goes back on Patton's neck.  
  
...  
  
Nico opens Lue's door and finds him passed out on his bed, a thick wall of humidity smacks her in the face. She walks in and picks up Lue, wrapping him. She shivers and pets his face. She can barely breathe, but it doesn't bother her. She leans down and kisses him deeply, moaning. She crawls on top of him and grinds, shaking and panting. Lue whines and stirs. "Oh Lue~" Nico moans.

Lue gasps and bucks. "N-Nicooo..." Nico grabs his crotch and Lue makes a small scream. Nico giggles and licks his neck, massaging his crotch. Lue's body jerks and he quickly climaxes with a cry. The air is a little clearer. He pants hard against the bed as Nico continues pleasuring herself. 

He slowly looks around, vision blurry. He feels Nico climax and the room's humidity decreases. He feels Nemo climax and it increases. He feels Patton's lesser pleasure compared to Virgil and Nemo. His eyes narrow. He pushes Nico off and sits up with a whine. Nico holds onto him. "Where are you going baby? We aren't finished~"

Lue breathes with difficulty. "H-Help me get the others here and we can continue."

Nico purrs. "Okay..." they sink out to Nemo's room. They find Nemo on top of Patton and Virgil on top of Nemo. 

Nemo looks over and growls. "Mine." he holds Patton close. Virgil blushes darkly. Lue pulls Virgil off with some difficulty, only for Virgil to latch onto him. Lue stumbles back and sinks out to his room. Nico grabs Patton and Nemo and sinks into Lue's room as well. Lue pushes Virgil off and guides Patton and Nemo to the closet for Patton's sake. Patton holds onto Nemo and kisses him as the door closes. He collapses on his bed, only for Nico and Virgil to immediately jump on him. He passes out.


	9. Chapter 9

Nemo wakes, feeling sore and uncomfortable. He looks around the darkness and if he had to guess, he's in a closet. He pales and freezes. _'A closet. Oh please no. Not the closet. No-'_ he finds Patton asleep in his arms. His peace is stolen once more when he realizes they're naked. He takes short breaths and holds onto him as they sink out to his room. He's able to relax when light finally reaches them. He sighs and looks around the mess of his room, frowning at Virgil's hoodie on the floor. "What happened...?" he carries Patton to the bathroom.  
  
...  
  
Virgil wakes up with Lue and Nico beside him. He groans and holds his head, looking around. _'Why am I in Lue's room?'_ he looks down at himself and pales. _'And why am I naked!?'_ he crawls away and sinks out to his room. 

Nico wakes and blinks. She sits up and looks around in confusion. She looks down at Lue and a thousand emotions flash across her face. She looks down at herself and sees her dress falling off. She pulls it back on and slides off the bed. "Oh no..." she looks back at Lue and covers her face. She bites her lip and picks Lue up, sinking out to her room.  
  
...

Patton groans from Nemo's bed and sits up with a yawn. Nemo pets his head gently, moving the ice on his hips. Patton shivers "That's cold." He chuckles.

Nemo smirks. "Yeah." He sighs.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm remembering glimpses. I'm not liking what I'm seeing."

Patton looks at Virgil's jacket and frowns. "Yeah..."

"I'm sorry."

Patton opens his mouth but then closes it. He looks down. "We can't do that again."

"Nope."

Patton sighs and closes his eyes. "I hope Virgil is ok."

"Logan's the only one up so far." Nemo hands Patton a cup of coffee.

Patton sits up and takes it. "One the bright side at least Logan was safe." Nemo nods. "I'll text him and tell him we're up." Patton takes out his phone.

"Okay," Nemo says. There's a knock on the door. "Come in." Virgil opens the door and glances at them before looking down, his hair wet. He walks over and picks up his hoodie. "Are you okay?" Nemo asks. Virgil gives a small nod.

"We're sorry." Patton frowns.

"It's not your fault." Virgil slips his hoodie on and pulls his hood up.

"Have you talk to Logan?"

"No."

"Maybe you should? Let him know if you’re ok or not." Patton suggests.

"Yeah..." Virgil makes his way to the door.

Logan sticks his head out of his room. He sees Virgil. "Oh, Virgil."

Virgil flinches. He takes a deep breath and goes to Logan. “Can... we talk?”

"Of course." Logan leads him to his room.

Virgil sits down on the bed. “I’m sorry.”

Logan sits next to him. "I forgive you. You weren't in your right mind." Virgil opens his mouth, but closes it and lays down, curling up. Logan rubs his back.

Virgil closes his eyes. “I love you. I just... want you to know that.”

"Of course, I know you love me. I love you too." Virgil smiles a bit and relaxes.   
  
...  
  
Nemo rises up in Pete’s domain. Everyone looks at him. “It’s over.” He sighs.

Terra sighs "That took forever."

“Yeah...” Nemo looks down. 

“Where’s Mom?” Pete asks and rocks Mahaz. 

Nemo looks up and frowns. “I don’t know.”

"I'm sure she's fine." Terra looks at his phone. "It's 8 let's eat. I'm starving."

“Breakfast is ready.” Nemo sinks out. Terra and the others sink out. Nemo rises up in the Imagination. “Roman?”

Roman looks up. "Yes?"

“Breakfast is ready.”

"Ok." Roman sinks out.

Nemo sinks into the dining room. Everyone’s down except Lue and Nico. Nemo gets a text and looks at it. He frowns. “I’ll be back.” He goes towards the stairs. Nemo goes to Nico’s room and opens the door. “What is-“ he pauses when he sees Lue on the bed, unconscious and deathly pale. Nemo quickly goes over. 

“He hasn’t woken up once...” Nico says, changing the washcloth on his wrists. 

Nemo looks him over. “He hasn’t eaten, and I bet he hasn’t drunk much in the last few days either. He needs electrolytes.”

“What?”

“Gatorade. And bring ice.”

Nico nods and sinks into the kitchen, quickly digging around. Virgil looks up. “How is he?”

“Not waking up.”

“Did we kill him?” Virgil panics. 

“No! No, no. He’s just dehydrated and needs food.” Nico sets the Gatorade on the counter and starts getting a few bags of ice.

Patton follows Virgil up. "Oh dear..."

Nico collects everything in her arms and goes over to Virgil, giving his shoulder a pat. “He’ll be okay. Nemo knows what he’s doing.” 

Virgil takes deep breaths. “I know... it’s hurting him to watch Lue doing this to himself since...”

Nico nods. “I’ll be back for Nemo’s plate.”

"We need to watch him."

“We will.” Nico sinks out and rises up in her room. She sets the Gatorade down and gives Nemo the ice. He places it where it’s needed and looks Lue over again. 

“We’re going to have to give him an IV to get him nutrients since he’s not waking up.”

“So we didn’t need the Gatorade?”

“You need it,” Nemo smirks at her and goes to Logan’s room. He comes back with an IV kit and starts setting it up. 

“I’m gonna go get your plate,” Nico says and goes back downstairs. She gets a plate for herself and picks up Nemo’s.

"Where are you going?" Roman asks

“Upstairs.”

"Why?"

“To help Nemo-“ Nemo comes downstairs. Roman looks at Nemo with a raised eyebrow.

“I was gonna bring you your plate,” Nico says. 

“It’s okay. There’s nothing we can do but wait.” Nemo offers her a smile and sits down.

Logan looks at Patton. "You should lock your closet in case Lue tries this again."

Patton nods "Will do."

“Next time we’re all bailing. No one stays behind.” Nemo says. Virgil nods in agreement.

"Me, George and Logan we're fine." Terra shrugs "We just watched a movie and play some games."

Nemo nods. “Good.” He looks over at Pete who’s rocking Mahaz. “He’s getting big.” Pete smiles and nods. “You can probably start introducing cereal and soft foods now.”

“Okay.”

Patton giggles "They grow up so fast."

“Yup.” Nico smiles. Roman holds his little hand. Mahaz tries to suck on Roman’s finger.

Roman giggles "You know Pete you were a biter."

Nico smirks. “Oh yeah. So was Sham.”

"I'm just happy he didn't have venom. He scared the crap out of Virgil the first time he bit him." Roman chuckles.

“Oh... yeah...” Virgil says dryly. Logan holds his hand.

Nemo chuckles. “That was fun...” he looks at Sham who smiles sheepishly.

"Speak for yourself. I'm glad Sham never got venom that stuff hurt." Terra says

“I’m pretty sure I got bit more than all of you combined. He never bit Patton. Was an absolute angel with him.” Nemo shakes his head.

Patton giggles "You got jealous because he would only eat for me."

Nico giggles. “I remember that.” Nemo laughs.

Roman laughs "You had this most tired, dumbfounded look on your face when Patton took Sham and got him to eat."

Patton giggles "And don't get me started on bath time." Sham hides his face, blushing. Virgil smirks. Ori giggles

“Sooo, Sham was quite the trouble maker huh?” Pete smirks at him.

"Oh yes, I swear everyone had a panic attack every time he would sink out," Logan says

"Yeah, gave me a headache." Terra crosses his arms.

Nemo smirks then sighs. “We would have never helped Lue if Sham didn’t keep going down there...”

"Not true, if Sham didn't go down there Lue would never had tried." Nemo nods.

Ori holds Sham's hand. Roman chuckles "Remember Sham's emo phase? That was a Nightmare." 

"Oh, it wasn't _that_ bad." Patton defends.

“No. It was bad.” Nemo says. Sham slowly smirks.

Ori giggles "Yeah sorry Dad but Dad is right. Don't forget I gave Dad a heart attack." Terra looks down.

“I got back up though. No worries.” Nemo gives Terra a finger gun.

"Yeah, I know... At least, in the end, Sham got wings and save me from falling to my death on a mountain."

Pete looks around. “What the heck!?” Sham laughs.

"Sis 2018 and 19 was like the best and worst years of our lives." Ori slowly nods holding onto Sham.

“I can see that...” Pete says. 

Sham kisses her head. “Also, you helped me give Terra arachnophobia and claustrophobia.”

“What?”

"Oh yeah, that was a day," Terra smirks.

"Oh, and the time Logan had a self-harm problem and night terrors." 

Logan sighs "That was not pleasant."

“Yeah, and I turned into a snake one time and scared him.” Nemo bites his lip.

“Wait- what color was the snake?” Virgil asks. 

“The first time it was yellow and I scared him then I turned into a white one-“

“THAT WAS YOU!? I KNEW IT!”

Logan chuckles "Yup he felt more comfortable that way." He shrugs 

"I wondered where that snake went," Patton smirks

Nemo blushes. “Logan was warm okay!?” Virgil laughs.

Sham smirks. “Sureeeee” Roman laughs Logan blushes

Nemo huffs and brings his wing between him and Virgil. “I’m not talking to you anymore.”

“Awww. Is the fishy pouty?” Virgil babies and pokes Nemo’s wing.

"It was a stressful time for me and Nemo. We needed each other."

"Yeah, you had a break down at one point when you thought Virgil cheated on you," Patton smirks.

Virgil frowns. “Also, not fun. Oh yeah, Roman lost his memories and Nico was wandering around like a lost puppy.”

“Actually I locked myself in my room for the most part. And the reason Logan thought you cheated on him was because he was having character bleed from Roman.”

"That causes me to have a wet dream about Nemo. Which made Virgil think Nemo was trying to steal me away. I got upset when Virgil was in his giggle phase then told me his past relationship with Nemo."

"That is one weird Love triangle." Roman chuckles Nemo groans.

"Actually, the wet dream was from me. As revenge or something, I don't remember." Terra shrugs.

"You went through your emo phase," Patton smirks Sham chuckles.

"Well anyway sorry about that."

Logan waves him off. "It's in the past now." Mahaz reaches around Roman and gasps when he finds his sash. He rubs his hand on the new-found slippery material before rubbing his cheek on it.

Nemo watches him with a smirk before his eyes widen. He glances at Sham then upstairs. Sham looks at him. “Patton’s right... Lue told me once that you’re the one who inspired him to change. To grow and stand up to Greed because he wouldn’t do it for himself, but he would and did do it for you...” Virgil raises a brow and Nemo looks back at Mahaz then George. “He’s also really good with George.”

Nico nods. “You would never think Lust is his trait when he’s babysitting him.”

"So, we have him babysit Mahaz and that is going to fix everything?" Terra asks

“No... but it might begin to help and give him the distraction he needs.” Nico thinks. 

Nemo nods and looks to Pete. “If that’s okay with you?”

Pete thinks it over. “I don’t see any harm. He is good with George, but has he ever taken care of a baby before?”

“Sham was like- two when he first went down there, and we can show him.”

"I guess we can try." Patton shrugs.

Roman nods "Let's wait for Lue to be... Healthy."

Pete nods. “Yeah. I’m good with it.”

Nemo goes back to eating and blinks. “Where’d Nico go?” Roman looks over and frowns. Nico’s seat is empty.

Roman stands up. "I'll go see if I can find her."

“Okay,” Nemo says.

He frowns. “Check her room.” Roman heads upstairs and Knocks on Nico's door.

“Come in.” Roman enters Nico is standing by the bed, changing the washcloth on Lue’s head as he watches her weakly. He slowly looks over to Roman tiredly.

Roman frowns he goes and takes his hand. "You need to rest."

Lue sighs and closes his eyes. “What... does it look like I’m doing...?”

“I’ll get you some food.” Nico moves towards the door. 

“Not hungry.”

Nico stops and turns to him. “Nemo said you are starved and dehydrated. You’re eating. Roman, help him drink that Gatorade.” She points and goes downstairs. Roman hands him the Gatorade. Lue tries to take it but drops it. He sighs and gives up.

Roman picks it up. "Open up." Lue barely opens his mouth. Roman pours it into his mouth. Lue drinks a bit then stops. Roman pulls the bottle away then leans into his ear. "You listen here, and you listen good. Nico is mine, back off."

Lue tenses and coughs a bit. Nico rises up with a bowl of soup. She pulls a chair over and takes a spoonful. “Open.” Lue obeys and takes it. Roman stands back and glares at Lue. Lue shrinks. Nico continues feeding him, unaware. When she’s done, she stands and sinks out to put the bowl in the sink.

Roman walks back up. "I'm serious, you little slut having a three sum. You’re lucky I don't punish you, but you would like that would you?" Lue squeezes his eyes shut.

“I wasn’t even awake...”

"No excuse." Lue tries to curl up but can’t move his body is so weak and sore. He whines. Roman smirks and backs up as Nico sinks up.

Nemo rises up with her. “How do you feel?” He goes over to him. 

Lue avoids looking at Roman. “Shit.”

Roman hands Nico the bottle. "He wouldn't drink much."

Nemo does his checks. He gestures for the bottle and Nico hands it to him. He holds it to Lue, but he doesn’t drink. “Lue, do you want to die?” He says frustrated. Lue looks down. Nemo sighs and kneels down to him. “Look-“

“Don’t say it wasn’t my fault because it was. Logan’s right. I know nothing about lust.”

“That’s not true.” Nico steps forward and holds Lue’s hand who flinches. Roman glares at Lue. Lue shakes and squeezes his eyes shut. He takes short breaths. “You’re just struggling right now. It’s okay-“

“Just stop.” Lue whimpers. “Let me go. Stop feeding me.” He slaps Nico’s hand away. “Stop touching me. Sorry I punched you. Sorry I fucked you. Just throw me in my room and get me out of the way.”

Nemo frowns. “We’re not going to do that.”

“And you didn’t even touch me.” Nico frowns as well. 

Lue takes shaky breaths. “If- if I die and there’s a buildup of lust just fuck in my room. If you do it outside it just increases it.”

“Okay, but you’re not going to die,” Nemo says.

“Ooh... that’s why you had us bring everyone to your room...” Nico thinks. Roman crosses his arms.

Lue can’t handle it anymore. He starts crying. “Just leave me alone!” Nemo and Nico look at each other and frown.

"Guys let the man rest." Nico sighs. Nemo takes her hand and leads her out.

“R-Roman wait,” Lue calls. Roman looks at him. Lue nods for him to close the door and wipes his eyes.

Roman closes the door and walks over. “You said you wouldn’t but please. Punish me. I hurt your family. I deserve it. Lock me somewhere in the Imagination- I don’t care. Just do something.” Lue closes his eyes and shakes.

Roman kneels down. "And why would I hurt you love bug?" Lue’s eyes widen and he looks at Roman. Roman's eyes are green.

“E-Evan...” Lue stares at him. “What are you doing?”

"I'm keeping everyone off you. Look at you, these light sides are only hurting you." Roman takes his hand.

Lue closes his eyes. “No. They didn’t do anything. This was me.”

"No, Lue this isn't your fault. Don't blame this on you alone. Nothing is one person's fault. You're trying to solve a problem at the moment. You need to find the source. Something causes this mess. Find that and this" he points at the area. "will stop."

Lue stays silent. “And what if the problem is me?”

"It's not. If it was this problem would be here since you were formed. This all started when the light sides all started hooking up. Maybe they are the problem. When _they_ have sex, it affects you."

“Yeah, so?”

"So? It's not you. Lue, love think of it like this. Too much fear makes Terra sick. Is that's Terra's fault or the other's fault? Terra can't help when they get scared you can't help when they get horny."

“Exactly so there’s nothing I can do. I was fine before but then I just stopped finding it pleasurable and ignored it and didn’t deal with it then I started feeling sick and it got out of hand and-“ Lue stuffs his face into the blankets. “You should let Roman go before he gets pissed.”

"I'm not leaving you." Roman squeezes his hand.

Lue pulls his hand away. “I’m serious. Let Roman go.”

"I'm not going to let these light sides take you from me."

“They’re not! Please love!”

"No, look at you, their breaking you. I won't stand and watch you tear yourself apart because of them."

“THEY’VE DONE NOTHING WRONG!” Lue cries. “LET HIM GO!”

Roman covers his mouth with a rag. "Shhh love bug. Let me handle this now." Lue’s eyes widen and he fights. "Shhh, I've got this." Roman kisses his head.

Lue screams into the rag. _‘SHAM! TERRA!’_ His eyes slide closed and his body goes limp. Roman pulls the rag away and it disappears. Roman kisses his head.

Sham knocks and opens the door. “Lue?”

Roman opens the door. "He's asleep now."

Sham frowns. “He was whispering. What happened?”

"He wanted me to punish him. I said no."

“Oh... why would he call me and Terra?”

"I don't know, but we should let him rest." Roman closes the door. Sham sighs and goes back to his room. Roman goes back to his room.


	10. Chapter 10

Patton, Nemo, Nico, Ori, Sham, and Roman are in the common room. Roman clears his throat. "I'm going to throw an idea out." 

"Ok go ahead." Patton waves Roman on. 

"What if we stop having sex."

Nemo blinks. “How?”

"What you mean how? You just don't do it." Nemo shakes his head and looks at Nico who gives him an ‘I had no part in this’ look. Nemo tries to say something but just shuts his mouth. "This started when we all got together. Maybe we are the problem?"

“Hold on. You’re the one who was telling Logan he doesn’t understand what it’s like to quote ‘make love to the one you love’.” Nico narrows her eyes.

"That was clearly a rude thing to say and I'm sorry but I'm looking at the evidence. Logan would be proud." Roman chuckles "I don't see a problem in stopping for a few days and see what happens."

Patton nods "We can try."

“But we’ve tried that already and it did nothing,” Nemo says. Sham’s eyes shift quickly between them all.

"Did Everyone?"

“Yes. In fact, we did that for a whole month after Lue came up and it was fine and then this last week, he’s become more isolated and then we find out about the untamed lust.” Nemo says.

Nico frowns. “I don’t think it was a whole month...” she mumbles.

Ori raises her hand. "We..." She becomes quiet.

Sham holds her hand. Nemo looks at them. “Oh... yeah.”

"There is no harm in trying again. We aren't going to die if we don't have sex. If it works then it gives Lue sometime to recover."

Patton nods "Ok, we can try again right?" Patton looks around.

Sham nods. Nemo sighs and nods. Nico watches Roman suspiciously. “Nico?” Nemo questions. Nico continues glaring at Roman.

Roman looks at her. "What? We already call sex off for now."

Nico’s eyes narrow. “Yeah but that was for personal reasons...”

"And now it's also to help Lue, what's the problem?"

“You’re not holding yourself right. You’re slouching like you have something to protect. Roman never slouches when he’s the center of attention.”

Roman straighten up. "Maybe you don't know me as well as you think or maybe you just want to move on to someone else." Roman glares at Nico.

Nico remains unfazed. “Okay. Fine. I don’t agree to this. In fact, I’m gonna go jerk Lue off because he needs help.” She moves towards the stairs, watching Roman.

Roman's eyes widen and he grabs her arm. "The hell you are!"

Nico spins around and trips Roman. Shadows wrap around his throat and lift him up. Nemo stands. “Who are you?” Nico glares at Roman.

Roman fights "Let me go!"

“Who. Are. You?” Nico doesn’t let him go.

Patton stands up. "Nico stop." Roman continues to fight his eyes glow green.

Sham pales. “Evan...?”

"Let me go."

“You let Roman go,” Nico says. “Or I can and will kick you out of his head.”

"I want what all of you want. To help Lue."

“And you just had to take over Roman to do it?”

"He is the biggest on sex and now that he's not dating you, he thinks he can go after my boyfriend."

“He wasn’t- oh my gosh.” Nico drops him. “Roman wasn’t _trying_ to do anything! We sent him to talk to Lue but then his room started affecting him! The three of us talked after and it was okay.”

Roman stands up. "Have you seen him! He's in pain and blaming himself for your mess. You are all trying to take him from me and you're killing him."

“We’ve been trying to help him, but he won’t let us! He locked himself in his room for two days after the first incident and wouldn’t come out until he got a vibe stuck in his ass and then he dumps a lust bottle in his room! We’ve done everything we can, but he still chooses to be on this self-destructive path, and it hurts us to watch him and not be able to do anything as much as it hurts you!”

"No! No, it doesn't! I can't help him. I'm stuck in the dark side while you are all failing him. I have to wait for him to comes to me in tears and stress. No more, you lot have done enough."

Nico thrusts her hand forward and shadows knock Roman back. “WE HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO DO ANYTHING!”

“Nico enough.” Nemo steps towards her, but Nico pushes him away as well and sinks out.

Roman stands up. Patton looks at Roman. "Evan please let Roman go."

"Not until this is fix," Roman growls and sinks out.

…

Nico rises up in her room and locks the door, keeping anyone from sinking in. She goes to the bed and hears Lue groan. He turns his head and blinks. “N-Nico...?”

Nico holds his hand. “Yeah. It’s me.” She looks at the door. 

“C-Can... I see your eyes?” Nico looks down at him with her golden eyes and Lue sighs. “Evan-“

“We know. That’s why I came back.”

“You’re keeping him away?”

“He won’t let Roman go.”

“So you’re keeping me hostage?”

Nico frowns and looks down at him. “No. I was trying to protect you.”

“From my boyfriend?”

Nico sighs and looks down. “I’m scared. This is was my first thought.”

“To protect me?” Lue asks and Nico nods. “You don’t have to.”

“I know...”

“What happened?”

“He suggested none of us have sex for a few days.”

Lue snorts. “That’s when you knew it wasn’t Roman?”

“No. He was slouching. Roman doesn’t slouch. Also, I lied and said something about you, and he snapped.”

“What something?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“You were trying to see if he would be jealous or not...”

“Yeah.” Nico rubs her face. 

“Bring me to my room.”

“What? Why?”

“Just do it.” Lue sits up and groans. Nico frowns and takes the IV out of his arm. She lifts him up and sinks into his room.

“Wait in the closet. Get Roman back.” Lue says as she lays him down. Nico nods and goes to the closet, closing the door.

A few minutes later Roman enters Lue's room. He sighs in relief. "There you are I was getting worried." Roman goes over to him and kisses him.

Lue kisses back gently before pulling away and wincing. “You know how weird it is to know it’s you but to see Roman?” He frowns.

"I know love bug, but I need to be with you. Roman was the only one with enough Jealousy to get attach to."

“Let me guess, jealous of me and Nico?”

"She spends way too much time with you. Don't get me started on the 3 sums while you were passed out. That's rape Lue."

“That was influenced rape. She and Virgil are just as much victims as me. She cares about my health as I care about her and Roman.”

"Still this can't continue. It's not healthy, I was getting the others to stop for a few days before Nico ratted me out."

“I’m sure they still will. But I really don’t see the point.” Lue lays down and sighs. “Love, this is wrong and it’s only going to cause more problems. I’m going to ask one more time. Please let Roman go. I’ll stay down there for a few days, just please.”

Roman kisses his hand. "Don't push me away. Please, you're all I got, I can't lose you this path. This stupid path every light side goes down."

Lue closes his eyes. “You don’t understand. You don’t know the responsibility and pressure being a light side brings. It’s so much easier to be a dark side and have someone else manage you and clean up after you. But when you come up here... you start realizing how you affect others. For some, it brings up guilt and shame. For others, they learn to own it. But it takes time. I’m sure I’ll figure it out. It’s just a rough patch right now. You’re not going to lose me.” Nico smiles proudly from inside the closet, but she knows she needs to go soon.

Roman looks at Lue. "Please, I want to protect you. I can help you. I can help with your need." Roman kisses his face.

Lue frowns. “No, you can’t. Not with Roman’s body. That’s rape too Evan.”

Roman holds him. "I miss you so much. I can't watch you suffer. I can't lose you."

“You’re not going to lose me, but you need to let me go. I will come back I promise.” Lue’s eyes glance at the closet.

Roman looks at him with bright green eyes. "I love you."

“I love you too.” Lue closes his eyes. “I’ll see you soon...” he nods at the closet. Shadows wrap around Roman’s arms and legs.

"What are you doing?" Roman looks scared. Nico steps out of the closet, eyes glowing. She holds Roman immobile and walks towards him. She places her hand on his head and both their bodies fall.   
  
...  
  
Nico appears in Roman’s mind, Evan on the throne. “That doesn’t belong to you.” She says.

"Get out." Evan stands up.

“You get out.” Nico raises her hand and shadows dart towards Evan. Evan raises his hands. A blue hair Roman appears with green eyes, he guards Evan. “LET HIM GO!” Nico’s shadows hold Roman in place while others go after Evan.

Another Roman shows up with Red hair. A shield raises blocking the shadows. "You can't win. I control Roman and all his traits.

Nico breathes quickly. “Oh, Roman I’m so sorry.” She closes her eyes and summons a bundle of energy. She throws it into the ground and the throne room goes dark. The lights flicker a moment, revealing everyone fallen except Nico dragging Evan away. They disappear.  
  
...  
  
Nico and Evan appear in Evan’s mind. They appear in a room of Mirrors. Evan groans and looks around. "What did you do!?" Evan is all green.

“The extreme.” Nico disappears. 

...  
  
Nico gasps for air and sits up with a cry. She pants while someone rubs her back. She turns her head and sees Lue beside her in Roman’s room, Roman laying not far away, covered in bruises. Nico covers her face. “Help me... get him to bed...” Lue says. Nico nods and stands, picking up Roman and setting him on the bed. She brushes his bags out of his eyes. 

“I’m so sorry...”

“I’ll... get Logan...” Lue goes towards the door and falls. Nico gets up and sinks out to her room. She gathers blankets and pillows off her bed and sinks back into Roman’s room. She makes a makeshift bed on the floor and lays Lue on it before going to Logan’s door and knocking. Logan opens it.

“Lue collapsed.”

"Where?"

“Roman’s room.” Nico leads him down. She goes to the bed and pulls up a chair, looking between Roman and Lue.

Logan checks him over he glances at Roman. "What happened to him?"

“Evan was in his head. I had to flood him with insecurities to get him out.” Nico looks remorseful. Lue slowly opens his eyes and looks up at Logan.

"Oh..." Logan looks back at Lue. "How do you feel?"

“Tired.” Lue closes his eyes again. “Hungry.”

"Nico go get something for Lue to eat." Logan sits Lue up. Lue groans and leans on him. Nico sinks out. Logan rubs his back.

Lue sighs. “So, I guess everyone’s gonna stop having sex for a few days.”

"They are?"

“According to Evan.” Lue breathes deeply. “He thinks they’re the problem. Maybe he’s right. Maybe not. He was also saying how he wasn’t going to let you guys take me from him and how he wouldn’t lose me to this path every light side goes down.”

Logan thinks "He is jealous."

“He’s the embodiment of it. Of course, he is. Mainly of me and Roman and Nico.”

Logan nods "I'm sorry you have to go through all of this."

“It’s not your fault.”

"Doesn't change how I feel about all of this."

“And how do you feel?” Lue looks up at him. “No one’s asked.”

"It doesn't matter." Logan shrugs

“Yes, it does.” Lue frowns and holds onto his shoulder for support and to get him to look at him. “How do you feel about all this? Be honest.”

"I hate this. I don't understand why this is all a big deal. Sex no sex it's not important for a relationship. I and Virgil are in your opinion the most stable couple. We trust each other and we don't need sex. I don't see why everyone can't stop for a few days. See what happens, give you time to rest. If someone’s’ relationship is dependent on what they do in bed, then they shouldn't be in a relationship."

Lue nods thoughtfully and closes his eyes. He starts falling. Logan sets him down gently. Lue groans and opens his eyes. “You’re right. A relationship shouldn’t be dependent on it and I don’t believe any of the others are. It’s just... addicting and hard to let go sometimes, and other times it’s not.” He closes his eyes again, breathing labored. “Why did I starve myself...” he mumbles.

"I don't know, Nico should be back with food soon."

“Nemo probably caught her...”

Logan picks Lue up. "I'll get you back to your room." Logan sinks out and raises in Lue's room.

“No.” Lue holds onto him. “I don’t want to be here.”

"Where would you like to go?" Lue thinks and Logan feels him slowly relaxing against him until he’s gone. Logan rests Lue down in his bed.

Lue breathes shallowly and rubs his face on the sheets. He groans and pulls himself from sleep. “No... nooo...”

"What's wrong?"

“Not here.” Lue sinks out. Logan frowns and leaves he checks Roman's room.

Nico turns around. “Where’d Lue go?”

"He was tired, so I tried to put him in his room for rest, but he left and I don't know where he went."

Nico frowns. “Check the commons.” She sets the soup on the bedside table. Logan nods Roman wakes up screaming in pain. Logan covers his ears. Nico jumps and runs to him. “Shhh. It’s okay. Just breathe.”

Roman gasps. Logan head for the door. "You deal with Roman I got Lue." He leaves and heads downstairs. "Lue?" There’s no one there.

...  
  
Lue rises up in the dark side commons and collapses on the couch. His breathing is still labored, and he feels sick from hunger. He closes his eyes. There is extra weight on the couch and the smell of soup is in the air. Lue weakly opens his eyes and looks over. Evan holds a spoon out for him. His whole body green. "Shh just eat." He puts the spoon in his mouth. Lue frowns but takes it. "I've got you." Evan offers the spoon again.

“I know.” Lue takes it. Evan continues to feed him. Lue silently eats.

Evan puts the bowl down when it's empty. "Good job love bug." Lue hums and closes his eyes. Evan smiles and holds him close. "I will protect you." He kisses his head.

Lue just lets him. _'He needs this. He needs to feel like he's able to do something.'_ he thinks. Evan relaxes on the couch closing his eyes. Lue drifts in and out of sleep for the rest of the afternoon.

... 

Nico rubs circles on Roman's hand. "I'm sorry. I couldn't think of any other way."

Roman takes deep breaths still sore from the bruised ego. "It's ok I understand."

"Do you need anything?"

"Just rest."

Nico nods. She looks up as Nemo enters, panting. "Anything?"

"No- I- went through-checked with- everyone about- their domains and- checked subscape." Nemo breathes hard.

"That means he's in the dark side." Nico sighs.

"Nico just- leave him be. Evan needs to be- the hero- for now." Nemo slowly catches his breath.

"Fucking bastard used me." Roman groans "Why am I to weak will?"

"You're not. He said you were the only one with enough jealousy for him to attach to." Nico looks down. "I'm sorry about that by the way."

Roman sighs "We're you really the only one who notices it wasn't me?"

Nemo raises his hand. "No. You only said something after I started pointing out how suspicious he was being." Nico snaps. Nemo slowly lowers his hand and walks away. Roman looks down he frowns and looks hurt by the knowledge that only Nico knew. Nico holds his hand sadly.

Roman tries to blink away the tears. _'They didn't know, they didn't see. I was replaced and they didn't know. Am I that replaceable? Do they really not know me?'_ Roman closes his eyes.

Nico holds him. "It was fifteen minutes. They would have started seeing the signs soon." she kisses his head. "I just know you that well. I have your beautiful face memorized like a map in my mind. Every quirk and feature about you guide me back to you like stars for a sailor."

Roman holds onto her. "Someday I feel like they don't care. It's so lonely, I don't want to be alone." He chokes back a sob.

"You aren't alone." Nico pets his hair. "You are never alone. I promise."

"I know... It's just hard sometimes. I feel like I'm only around to be the store. I love helping but it's just..."

"You feel like that's all you're good for."

Roman nods "I give and give... When was the last time someone did something for me? Make something for me?"

Nico sighs. "That's wrong, and it's going to change."

"No, it won't. Even if you get them to do it. It would only because they felt like they had too. Not because they want to."

Nico frowns. "Maybe they just don't realize it."

"They never do. I make a mistake I'm hammered. They make a mistake all is forgiven." Nico holds him tightly. She feels something in her that she hasn't before, but she ignores it. Roman squeezes Nico. "It really feels like you’re the only one who cares about _me_. It's one of the things that help me fall in love. Then... I lost it and felt alone again."

Nico nods. "You're never going to be alone again. I swear on Thomas's life I will never let you be alone again." Roman sobs Nico pets his hair and rocks him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I got jealous. I thought I was losing you to Lue. That you didn't care about me anymore."

"It's not your fault. That was a perfectly natural reaction to what happened, and I forgive you." Roman holds her tight.

"You know what's funny? They say they couldn't help me because I wouldn't accept it. In reality, they never bother to ask."

Nico frowns and kisses his cheek. "I know. I've got you." _'No one will hurt him again and if they do, they'll pay.'_ she thinks.

Roman sobs on her. "I feel weak. Pathetic. I love my family, they can't be hurting me on purpose, right? I'm just dramatic as always."

Nico growls. "No. You're not being dramatic." _'I’m going to beat Nemo's shit in...'_ "They are hurting you and they keep walking all over you and you just keep taking it and taking it. Enough is enough."

"But-"

"Shh..." Nico places her finger on Roman's lips. Roman looks at her with sad, watery, pitiful eyes. Nico kisses his head. "I'll take care of it. I'll take care of you."

Roman holds his hand. "Please don't tell them. You know they can't handle guilt well. Please, I don't want to cause any trouble. I'll get thicker skin just please-"

"No. They're causing you pain. Fuck their guilt. If you have to go through this, so do they."

"Nico please it's not that bad. I'm exaggerating please-"

Nico kisses his hand and stands. "I'll be back." she leaves.

"Nico I'm not worth it!" He yells out. He hides his face in his hands and cries. "What have I done?"

Nico goes to Nemo's room and throws the door open, not bothering to knock. Nemo turns around from his desk. "Nico? What-" 

"Do you have any idea what you're doing!?" Nico closes the door. 

"Wha-"

"Roman! You say you're there for him, but you're not. You say you try to help him, BUT YOU NEVER FUCKING ASK!" 

Nemo stands. "Nico, I don’t-"

"Anyone else makes a mistake and they are forgiven almost on the spot! Roman makes a mistake and you hold it over his head for weeks! He summons everything for you guys and all you do is take it and run without so much as a thank you! He gives everything to you, and you can't even make him feel wanted for more than just what he can do!?" Nico takes two steps forward for every step back Nemo makes, gold eyes shifting towards a bronze-like color. "You cry and gain everyone's attention! You have a mood swing and they do whatever you ask! You have an emotional breakdown? Oh! Here's a blanket! Feeling bad about yourself? Oh! Here's a song! Need time alone? Take it! Need to be with someone? Come on in! WHAT ABOUT ROMAN!?"

Nemo is near tears, backed into a corner. "Nico I-"

"You what? You're sorry!? NONE OF YOU EVEN REALIZED IT WASN'T ROMAN! IS HE THAT REPLACEABLE TO YOU!?" Nemo slides down the wall, gasping for air. He goes to sink out. "Oh no, you don't!" Nico grabs his wrist. They rise up in Nemo's domain. 

"Nico! Let me go!" Nemo tries to pull away.

Nico snarls and shadows wrap around Nemo, immobilizing him. "No. It's time you learn what it's like to Roman."

Nemo cries. "I already know!"

"You know what it's like to be pride. Not Roman."

"I know what insecurity and Depression are like! I know what it's like to not find pride in your work! I know what it's like to be alone! I know what it's like to lose the one you love! NICO PLEASE!"

"Really? Cause you do a great job of empathizing with him."

"IM SORRY! I'LL DO BETTER!" Nemo sobs the shadows tighten around his wings. He feels his escape being torn from him.

"You're always sorry for something." Shadows enter Nemo's mouth. He screams and thrashes, gagging on them. The pain they cause is not physical, but a mental pain to an extreme that is only known to those who have gone throw it. It's not a headache, it's a deep aching collection of everything you think is wrong with yourself, multiplied by what everyone else thinks.

Nemo continues to shake and sob, held in place by Nico's shadows. He falls into a nightmare and his wings are cut off. _'Ooo... Now there's an idea.'_ Nico thinks and summons her sword. She pulls Nemo out of the nightmare and keeps him in place. "Look at me." Nemo slowly opens his eyes, met by Nico's gold one’s edge by dark red. Nemo shakes. Nico spins the sword and he whimpers. She places it on the joints his wings and he freeze.

"N-Nico P-Please... P-p-p-lease..."

Nico almost smirks. "Maybe this will help you to remember..." she raises her sword. Nemo lets out a blood-curdling scream as he feels the cold metal sever flesh and bone. The extra weight falls into the sand, staining it red as crimson liquid pours from his back. He continues screaming until he passes out. Nico drops him and looks at her hands. She frowns at the mess and sinks out to her room to wash up.  
  
...  
  
Virgil and Terra rise up in Nemo's domain at the same time. Virgil takes one look at Nemo before he sinks into Logan's room. "LOGAAAN!" Logan jumps Merlin squawks and flaps about. "NEMO BLOOD WINGS BEACH-" Virgil grabs his hand and sinks them to Nemo's domain.

Terra is shaking Nemo. **"DAD!"**

Logan's eyes widen and he runs over. "What happened!?"

**"WE DONT KNOW! WE JUST FELT HIM SUDDENLY GET SCARED AND THEN WE STOPPED SENSING HIM!"** Virgil answers.

Logan looks at the two wings detached from Nemo's body. "G-get Roman I'm going to need his help." Logan summons his medkit and starts cleaning the wound. Terra throws up.

Virgil sinks into Roman's room, but Nico's already there. **"R-ROM-"** Nico pushes him out and closes the door. Virgil bangs on it, sobbing. **"NICO PLEASE! SOME- SOMEONE- SOMEONE CUT NEMO'S WINGS OFF WE NEED ROMAN NOW!"** he slides down to the floor and sobs into the carpet.

Roman looks at Nico. "Y-you didn't..."

Nico sighs. "He wouldn't listen otherwise." she looks up with bronze eyes. "I've avenged you. Maybe now they'll listen."

Roman goes pale. "Th-this isn't you." Roman tries to sit up.

Nico just crosses her arms and smirks. "Took you long enough. Maybe next time you make a form from the Imagination you should make sure there are no piggybackers. Anyways, I'm trying to help you here so go on and be the hero but remember what this was all for." Nico sinks out Virgil continues gasping outside Roman's door. Roman covers his mouth. He shakily stands up. He stumbles to the door and opens it. Virgil breathes quickly for a moment before he suddenly stops. He slowly gets up and looks at Roman with a look of intelligence and analyzing.

"Take me to Nemo." Virgil takes his hand and sinks them into Nemo's domain. Sham is there now, doing what Logan asks while trying to avoid throwing up at the amount of blood.

Logan looks up. "What took so long?"

"Sorry." Roman looks at Nemo. _'I’m going to be sick.'_

Logan sighs "Never mind just get over here." Logan takes his attention back to Nemo. Roman stumbles and limps over then falling to his knees.

"What do you need?" Sham looks at him worriedly. Roman waves him off but doesn't say anything.

"Gauze and bandages. And-" Logan swallows. "Two ice chests for- those." he points to the wings. Roman snaps his fingers and summons the supplies. He looks at Terra who is in a panic attack. "Virgil rinse the joints and get the wings in the chests. Sham, help me keep the pressure on the wounds." Logan takes the new gauze and puts it over the soaked ones. Virgil does as he's told.

Roman looks around pale. _'I did this if I didn't run my mouth... And Nico... Who was that? It wasn't Depression, why does it feel like all my enemies care about me?'_

"Roman. Roman!" Logan pulls him out of his thoughts.

"Yes?" Roman looks up.

"He's losing too much blood. We need to cauterize the wound. I need a flat piece of metal with an insulated handle, alcohol, a lighter, and a blow torch." Logan and Sham start pulling the blood-soaked gauze away. Roman nods and summons it. "Use the blow torch on the metal until it just starts glowing." Roman nods and picks it up and starts the blow torch.

Logan quickly wipes the wounds with clean gauze and the alcohol. He takes the lighter and burns away the vapors before taking the metal from Roman. He hesitates and hopes Nemo stays unconscious. He gently lays the metal on the wound before quickly picking it up and moving until he's covered it all. He heats it again and repeats it with the other wound. The smell of burning flesh fills the air. He checks for any bleeding, but there is none. He digs the metal in the sand to cool it off and sighs, looking at Nemo's burned back and the ice chests. "There's no point in keeping those anymore..." he says sadly. "The nerve endings have been burned..."

Roman covers his face and sobs. Sham sinks out. Logan sighs "We need to get Nemo back to his room to heal." Logan stands up. "Virgil, can you carry him?" Virgil carefully picks Nemo up who winces. Patton rises up a few moments later. Sham rises up as well.

"NEMO!" Patton runs over. "WHAT HAPPENED!?"

"We don't know, we just found him like this," Logan says

Roman grips his hair and screams. "I'M SORRY!" Sham and Virgil look at him. Nemo whines.

Logan and Patton look at Roman. "Roman-"

"I ran my mouth, Nico cut his wings off because of me." Roman sobs "I'm sorry!"

Patton covers his mouth. "Roman how could you!?" Nemo groans and starts screaming and sobbing. He tries to breathe but chokes and coughs.

Logan goes over to Nemo. "I've got you. Virgil let's go." Logan and Virgil sink out with Nemo. Roman sobs on the ground. They can still hear Nemo's screams from under the beach house. Sham sits down and looks over at Terra.

Terra has passed out. Patton looks at Roman in disbelief. "What did you do?"

"I told Nico that none of you cared about me and then she went and cut Nemo's wings off."

"And you didn't stop her!?"

"I'm sorry."

"Why would you lie like that!? Of course, we love you."

"I know I'm sorry." Sham looks at the chests with the wings in them. Just thinking about them makes him sick, but he doesn't know where to put them.

"You show it sooo well." Nico claps dryly before laying a hand on Roman's shoulder. Sham tenses and stands.

Roman flinches Patton looks at Nico. "How could you do something so cruel!?"

Nico pulls out a tranq gun and examines it. "Cruel? This is cruel? What about how you've neglected Roman? Taken but never give? Never ask if he's okay? Cruel is being told something is your fault when it's not and being shamed for it like you all always do to him." Nico aims the gun at Patton.

"Stop please I don't want this," Roman begs

"Who are you?" Patton asks

"Take a wild guess." Sham goes to take her down, but she quickly fires at him then Patton. Sham trips over his own feet and falls, darkness taking over his vision.

The dart bounces off Patton. He charges and takes Nico down. "LET NICO GO!"

Nico raises a brow. "Super strength? Huh. Malice failed to mention that. Also, Nico isn't here. She bailed." she smirks.

Patton punches her in the face. "Who are you!?" Roman goes to Sham. He takes the dart out.

Nico winces. "As I said, take a wild guess. Or is this not an interrogation? Perhaps it's simply being masked as such and is truly a quest for revenge...?"

"Justice? Revenge?"

Nico smirks. "Nemo was the only one who never got us mixed up. His morals are strong, yet he's still blind to the pain that's been in front of him all along." she looks to Roman.

Roman looks at her. "I don't want this, I don't care how they treat me. They don't deserve this."

"Shh..." Nico smiles charmingly.

Roman shivers Patton looks at him. "What are you talking about? We don't treat you badly." 

"I know..." Roman looks down.

"Quit lying and stand up for yourself! This is what caused this to happen in the first place!" Nico exclaims.

Roman covers his face. He doesn't have enough pride to stand up for himself now Sham is knock out and Nemo is dewinged and it's all his fault. Patton frowns and gets up. "Roman, do we treat you poorly?"

Nico sits up and huffs. "You can't even see it!? Look at him!" she gestures to him.

Roman looks ashamed like he did something wrong. Patton frowns. "Oh..." He hugs Roman. "I am so sorry I didn't... I'm sorry." Roman doesn't hug back.

"You're just saying that to make him feel better. You don't even mean it. Not more than a minute ago you were yelling at him like he was the one who cut Nemo's wings off." Nico crosses her arms.

Patton looks down. "That was wrong of me. I was angry and I took it out on you, but you didn't deserve that. You did nothing wrong."

"I-" 

"Nothing wrong," Patton repeats.

Nico huffs. Shadows yank Nico away and throw her across the sand. Another Nico stands there, eyes glowing, shadows surrounding her. "How. Dare. You." she stalks towards the first Nico. 

The first Nico stands and brushes herself off. "Please. It's not like you were helping."

"CUTTING OFF NEMO'S WINGS DIDN'T EITHER!" The second Nico screams, shadows shooting towards the first. They wrap around her and she struggles.

"Please. He's not dead and a lesson was learned."

"YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ROMAN! YOU JUST WANT REVENGE AS ALWAYS! YOU REALLY ARE A CHILD OF MALICE!"

"And you're a child of Depression!" Nico screams and throws her again.

"CALL ME THAT ONE MORE TIME, REVENGE! I FUCKING DARE YOU!"

"Then you're no better than me or any of us. You just got lucky." Revenge stands. Nico summons her sword and charges. Revenge goes to dodge, but Nico had already stabbed her. Revenge coughs and falls, blood spilling onto the sand. Nico screams and slits her throat before dropping her sword and backing away, falling and sobbing. Roman and Patton look at them. Roman buries his face into Patton

Nico shakes and grips the sand. She throws it and screams heartbrokenly. Sham begins to stir. "N-Nico?" Patton whispers

Nico grips her hair. "I couldn't stop her. I couldn't stop her she kicked me out of my own body, and I couldn't fucking stop her!" she kicks at the sand and throws it, falling again. Sham blinks and looks around. Roman slowly walks towards her. Nico looks up and stands. "How do you know you can trust me? What if I'm just another trick?" her golden eyes look broken.

Roman stops "I don't." He looks down. "I'm sorry." He sinks out. Nico screams again and falls to her knees, sinking out. Sham crawls into Patton's lap and cries. Patton holds him. Sham grips his shirt tightly. Patton rubs his back.

Terra groans and sits up. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure." Was Patton's answer.


	11. Chapter 11

Nemo wakes a few hours later, laying on his stomach. He groans. He's immediately aware something's missing, but his drugged mind can't come up with an answer. He groggily looks around the best he can and sees Logan sitting next to him. Logan looks up from his book. "Don't move." Logan massages his head.

Nemo sighs and closes his eyes. "Wha... Wha zzz wroonng?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Mmm... 'kay... N'ghty night..."

"Night." Logan watches Nemo fall back to sleep.

...  
  
Sham rises up in the dark side commons, tear stains dried on his cheeks. Evan and Lue are asleep on the couch. Evan back to normal. He opens his mouth then closes it. He goes to leave when Lue coughs. Sham glances back at him, but it's just a coughing fit. Evan blinks and rubs Lue's back. He glances at Sham. Sham closes his eyes and looks away. Lue coughs himself awake and reaches for the glass of water. He sips it and looks at Sham. "Sham?" Sham opens his mouth then closes it. He doesn't even know how to say it.

Evan frowns "Come here." Evan makes room on the couch.

Lue frowns and sets the glass down. "Sham? What's wrong?"

Sham glances back at his own wings. He points to them and makes a slicing motion, then signs 'N.E.M.O' he looks back at them sadly. Lue thinks for a moment then pales.

Evan blinks "Why?"

Sham signs. 'R.O.M.A.N. and R.E.V.E.N.G.E.' 

Lue shakily stands. "I'll be back."

Evan pulls him back down. "No, you need to rest.”

Lue pulls away. "I need to see Nemo." he sinks out. Sham frowns and sits down, drawing his knees up.

Evan sighs he looks at Sham. "You want a hug?" Sham nods. Evan hugs him.

...  
  
Lue rises up in Nemo’s room. His hand covers his mouth as his gaze settles upon Nemo’s back, covered in bandages, the beautiful large wings painfully absent. Logan looks up. "Lue..."

Lue goes to the bed and holds Nemo’s hand. “What happened?”

"I don't know. All I know is that Nico cut Nemo's wings off because we apparently have been treating Roman poorly." Logan shrugs and looks angry.

Lue looks up, shock and horror spreading across his face. “N-Nico?”

"I'm clearly missing some important information. In any case Roman blames himself."

Lue nods and swallows. He rubs Nemo’s arm who sighs. “He- He doesn’t know yet... does he...?”

"No..."

Nemo hums. “Sweepy fiiiiish...” he murmurs.

"He's still out of it."

Logan looks at his watch. "I need to go get Virgil do you mind watching him for a few minutes?"

“Yeah, no problem.” Logan stands up and sinks out.

Lue sits down and continues to rub Nemo’s hand. Nemo purrs sleepily. He blinks. “Lue lueee...”

“Yeah. I’m here.” Lue offers a smile despite the tears in his eyes. 

Nemo frowns. “Wha wronggg?”

“Nothing, Nemo. Just go back to sleep.” Lue rubs circles on Nemo’s temple and Nemo sighs happily, closing his eyes again.

...  
  
Logan brings Vampire Virgil to Roman's room. Roman looks up from his bed and flinches. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't fix this Roman." Virgil looks at Roman and licks his lips.

Roman looks down. "Fine." Virgil walks towards him and crawls onto the bed. He sniffs him and licks his arm before biting him. Roman hisses but doesn't pull away. Virgil hums and stays on him for a moment before pulling away and licking the bite. He looks to Logan. Logan sinks out. Virgil growls lowly and follows him.

Roman curls up on his bed and cries. He's so sore. A bruise forms from where Virgil bit him. He feels so lost and alone. He deserves it. He looks down. He can almost imagine warm loving arms around him protecting him. Roman sighs and his room losses some of its color and gets colder. Roman shivers and puts the blanket over his head. A silent figure rises up. He sits on the edge of the bed and reaches for Roman’s hand. Roman lets them take it wanting comfort of any kind right now. He feels his guilt be drained away until he just feels alone. The figure gives his hand a squeeze, cloak still hiding his face. Roman pulls his hand away and curls up. The figure remains quiet. “Come to play with the accused, brother?” A voice in the room says. 

“No.”

The voice chuckles. “Then why are you here? Surely, he is truly guilty? Or have you lost your way again?”

“Revenge is guilty, but she will not receive Justice’s correction. You are the only one who can stop her.”

“That’s beyond my concern. She’s a dark side now. She’s outside of my care.”

“Then by that statement, so is Roman.” 

The voice stays silent a moment. “Very well.” There’s silence once more. The figure on the bed remains still.

"You don't have to protect me." Guilt doesn’t answer. "Just leave." Guilt still stays. Roman sighs and closes his eyes. "Fine, I don't care anymore." Guilt silently watches him. He gets up and walks around the room, touching different things as if reading them. He disappears for a moment. He comes back with a feather that resembles Nemo’s. It glows and transforms into glittering dust. Guilt sprinkles it over Roman. _'I wasn't the one holding the sword. I didn't ask Nico to do that and I wasn't in control of her actions.'_ Roman relaxes

Mahaz appears on the floor, chewing on his blanket. Guilt looks at him and smiles softly, though no one can see it. He picks Mahaz up and sits him next to Roman. Mahaz feels around until he finds Roman's sash. He gurgles and searches for Roman's hand. He finds it and pats his arm. Roman feels a bit of hope filled him. Roman looks at him. He holds him in his arms and curls around him. Mahaz pats his face and hums like he's trying to comfort him. Roman holds him close. He feels himself gaining more hope and assurance like somehow, he just knows everything is going to be okay. He feels somewhat peaceful. Roman sighs and relaxes.

... 

Logan sleeps in a chair rest on the end of Nemo's bed the next morning. Nemo groans and blinks. He slowly realizes he's on his stomach. He frowns in confusion and lifts his arm, seeing an IV in it. He looks up to the monitor beside the bed. _'What happened...?'_ He shivers and closes his eyes, drawing his wings closer to himself, but no warmth greets him. His eyes shoot open and he stares at the wall for a moment. He slowly turns his head to look behind himself, but there's nothing there. Fear, panic, confusion, and anguish all flood him as he stares at where his wings used to be. He doesn't breathe for a long moment. He finally frees himself from his paralysis and takes a shaky breath, tears filling his eyes. _'No. This has to be a dream. A nightmare. This can't be real. It's not real. Terra's gonna come. He's gonna pull me out and I'll be fine, and Patton will tell me it's just a dream and-'_ A sob breaks him and he stuffs his face into the blankets. He tries desperately to hide himself in his nonexistent wings. It's like he can still feel them, but they aren't there.

Logan groans and blinks. He looks at Nemo and frowns. He takes his hand. "I'm so sorry Nemo." Nemo continues to cry and reaches for Logan. Logan holds him. Nemo buries himself against him, shaking and wailing. Logan holds him tightly. He doesn't say anything. There is nothing to say. He can't bring back his wings. He closes his eyes and tries not to cry.

Nemo takes half breaths and leans on Logan tiredly. "H-How- w-wh-o-"

"Nico."

Nemo sobs harder. "WHHYYY!?"

Logan takes a deep breath "Something about Roman."

Nemo's eyes widen and he remembers Nico charging into his room, yelling at him. He remembers being scared and running to his domain, only for Nico to follow and the shadows... Those horrible shadows diving down his throat, gagging on them, the pain- the bronze eyes- the sword- the shock- the blood. Nemo stops breathing and grips at his chest, face showing pain. Logan lays Nemo down. Logan holds Nemo's hand. "Breath Nemo."

Nemo opens his mouth, trying to breathe, but can only silently cry. He looks at Logan with scared eyes and squeezes Logan's hand. Logan rubs his thumb over Nemo's hand and pulls out his phone. He clicks on a playlist he made for Nemo and lays his phone next to Nemo's head. Nemo closes his eyes and focuses on the music. He's finally able to breathe again and matches his breathing to the beat of the song. Logan sighs and squeezes his hand. Nemo curls closer to Logan, wincing as the bandages rub on the burns.

Nemo shakes and stares at the wall, holding onto Logan. He can't even form coherent thoughts, everything a mess of emotions and half thoughts shifting through his mind like the swells of the ocean. A loss of identity, a loss of comfort. Confusion from why Nico would do that and if not Nico then who? Didn't she say she was stronger now? What is he going to do now? What is Patton going to think of him? What are they all going to think of him? He slowly falls asleep. Logan holds him close and sighs. He lays Nemo back down. He moves his bangs as sorrow fills his heart.

...  
  
Nemo slowly walks down the stairs with Logan, hiding in a thick hoodie. It's not his wings. Nothing will ever be his wings. But he needs something to make him feel safe. He keeps tripping and falling forwards, not used to having lost half his weight. Logan is there to catch him though. He can feel everyone's eyes on him as they sit at lunch, but he can't bring himself to look at them. He sits between Patton and Logan, keeping his head low. He quickly glances up with his eyes and sees Nico and Lue are the only ones not there. Patton holds his hand under the table. Roman doesn't look at Nemo. Even though it's not his fault he still feels sad for him.

Nemo holds Patton's hand tightly. He feels like he's lost a part of himself. He has. He glances at Sham who still has his wings and can't help but feel jealous. It makes him sick and he forces himself to only look at his food the rest of the time. Roman is the first to leave without a word. Nemo eats half his plate before pushing it away. "I'm tired." He whispers to Patton. Patton nods and stands up. He holds Nemo close to him. Nemo walks with him in small steps, wincing in pain from his back. Eventually, he stops halfway up the stairs and just sinks them out to his room. Patton crawls into bed with Nemo and holds him.

Nemo closes his eyes, silently crying. _"You cry and gain everyone's attention! You have a mood swing and they do whatever you ask!" "It's time you learn what it's like to be Roman." "You're always sorry for something."_ His room is extremely dark.

Patton frowns "Nemo?"

"Hmm?"

Patton doesn't know what to say. His room is so dark, but nothing comes to mind for what to say. Nothing sounds right. "I love you." He holds him close.

"I know." Nemo lays his head on him. "I'm never doing this to Roman again..."

"Roman?"

"Nico said it's time I learned what it's like to be Roman..."

Patton frowns "That wasn't Nico. That was revenge."

"Revenge?" Nemo frowns.

"Yeah I don't understand either, but Nico showed up and I think she killed her."

Nemo sighs. "You know what? I really don't care," he says brokenly. "They're cowards and they keep using Nico as a disguise and I see why Roman's sick of it." Patton holds him. Nemo closes his eyes and cries. "It hurts. It hurts so fucking bad."

Patton squeezes his hand. "I know, I'm so sorry we couldn't save you. You didn't deserve this."

Nemo clenches his teeth. _"You cry and gain everyone's attention!"_

"Yes, I did."

"How? What did you do to get your wings cut off?"

"I neglected Roman. I said I would be there for him, but I never was." Nemo chokes up. "All because I was scared. I was scared I didn't know how to help. You all told me I couldn't save anyone, and I didn't know how to save Roman. I still don't. I just- I didn't know so I didn't ask, and it only made it worse and I should have been there and-"

"Nemo! That doesn't mean you should get your wings cut off. Cause your right you didn't know how to help. It wasn't your responsibility to save everyone. Roman was fine, he's just dramatic sometimes, but this?" He looks at Nemo. "Isn't ok, this is an extreme and you didn't deserve this."

Nemo looks down. “Roman wasn’t behind the sword.”

"No, but he is the one she was trying to 'avenge'. I don't know what Roman's problem is but I'm going to put a stop to this before anyone else gets hurt." Patton looks determine.

Nemo frowns. “What if the problem is us.”

Patton stands up. "It's not." He heads for the door.

“Patton NO!” Nemo gets up and winces, limping after him.

Patton picks Nemo up. "You need to rest." He puts him back in bed.

Nemo gets up again and grabs his hand. “Don’t go.” His eyes beg him.

Patton frowns "Love I can't let this stand. No one hurts you and gets away with it. I'm just going to have a talk with Roman."

“No, you’re not! You know how much words hurt him!”

"And? Nemo! Your wings! He took away your wings. That not ok. I can't let that go." Patton pulls away from Nemo. "I won't let it go."

“It’s not his fault!” Nemo cries.

"Yes, it is!" Patton kisses his head. "I love you. Sleep." Nemo goes unconscious. Patton lays him down and storms out he throws Roman's door open. Roman flinches. Patton slams it closes and marches over to him. "What the hell is your problem? What did Nemo do to deserve _that_?"

Roman shakes "P-Patton I'm sorry."

"SORRY DOESN'T BRING HIS WINGS BACK!" Roman flinches again. "What do we not love you enough? You think we don't care about you?" 

"I-"

"SHUT UP!" Roman flinches. "We love you, you're family but you’re not as special as you think you are! So sorry we don't praise your name or thank you for every meal." Patton's voice drips spite and sarcasm. Tears feel Roman's eyes. "I appreciate what you do for us. It's nice, but we don't owe you anything!" Patton stomps around the room bright red. "Nemo didn't deserve that! You know how guilty he gets. Now he's falling again because you didn't ask for help!? Because you just HAD to be the center of attention! Well, now you are! How do you like it?" Roman cries bruise filling his sore body. "Oh, poor you, you got a bruised ego. GOOD!" Roman flinches "Maybe now you feel a piece of pain that Nemo feels."

"There was nothing I could do!"

"You could have called someone! You could have warned us. You could have gotten off your ass and actually do something, but no! You didn't. Now it's too late."

Roman sobs hard. "W-what if h-he d-die and-"

"NOW YOU WANT TO KILL HIM!?" Patton picks Roman up by his collar. "I should kill you! Maybe you will come back with so humility." 

Roman weakly fights Patton's grip sobbing hard as he black and blue all over. Nico rises up and shadows yank him away from Roman. “ENOUGH!” Guilt rises up as well as another young girl wearing white robes. Roman falls to the ground and sobs.

Patton fights against the shadows. "Let me go! He needs to pay!"

“HE’S PAID ENOUGH!” Nico screams. Guilt rests his hand on her arm and Nico closes her eyes, taking deep breaths. 

The girl in robes steps forward. “He is not your enemy. He did nothing wrong. All of this was Revenge, not Roman.” She says strongly.

"He didn't do anything to stop her!"

“BECAUSE HE FUCKING COULDNT! YOU'VE NEVER HAD A BRUISED EGO-“

“Nico.” Guilt looks her in the eye and Nico squeezes her eyes shut, taking hasty breaths.

"And what about you!?" He looks at Nico. "You got used again! Why can't you be stronger!?"

Nico opens her mouth then closes it. “Revenge came with her when Roman created her form. No one knew so it created a fusion of sorts. Then Revenge kicked her out and took over, and the mindscape brought Nico back to defeat Revenge. However now she has her own room in the dark side.” The girl’s white and blue eyes stay on Patton. “You are angry and justly so, however, you have the wrong target.”

"Fine! Let me go so I can beat the shit out of Revenge."

“She’s dead.” Nico states.

"Then I'll burn her room down. We don't need her!"

Nico looks to Guilt and Justice who nod. “We will handle her,” Justice says. “This will not happen again.” Nico nods and lets Patton go. Nico and Guilt turn to Roman, but he's gone.

Nico frowns. “We need to find him. If he has a bruised ego long enough, he’ll die.”

“That was unfair of Patton to say to him. I understand he’s angry, but that was wrong.”

“Agreed. Can you guys find him?” Nico looks to Guilt.

“The Imagination. It’s locked.” Guilt says. Nico frowns. Guilt takes their hands and sinks them out to the Subscape. He starts towards the Imagination. 

“Where are we going?” Nico questions. 

“To the Imagination.” Guilt answers. 

“We can still get in through the subscape.” Justice says. “Lue used it to save Roman from Malice.”

“Oh... yeah.” They make it into the Imagination and begin running towards the castle. They make it there and Nico leads them to the king’s quarters.

Two guards block their path. "Holt no one shall enter, by orders of the king." Nico’s shadows drag them out and pin them to the wall. They enter.

Roman is curl up on his bed. He looks at them. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" He sits up and groans. They walk over and form a circle around him. Justice takes his hand, Nico taking his other hand with Guilt between them. They all close their eyes, Justice protecting him from the unfair words Patton said, Guilt protecting him from his guilt, and Nico from his insecurities. Mahaz appears again and looks around in confusion, sensing the powerful figures around him. He finds Roman’s sash and holds onto it. Roman looks at them. "What are you doing?"

“Building you up.” Justice answers. Roman frowns and looks down. He has half a mind to pull away, but a stronger half keeps him there. He feels peace fill him, a kind like he saw on Nemo’s face as he was flying in that storm. The storm of emotions, insecurities, guilt, condemnation, rejection, loneliness- all of it he is aware of but it’s like he’s being protected from it. Shielded from it. He knows it’s there, but he also knows it will only hurt him if he lets it. He feels that he can be strong, that he is strong, he just has to choose to use it. The words of others hurt only as much as he lets them. He is in control of how much pain he is in. Roman relaxes and closes his eyes.

The others let go. Roman feels in control again, like he was reminded he can stand up for himself and not feel bad for doing so. He’s was not being dramatic, he’s was simply trying to express his need for help. Roman holds Mahaz. "Thanks."

They all nod. Mahaz pats his face. “Pa- Papa Ro...” Nico covers her mouth and ‘aww’s.

Roman beams "You called me Ro! Oh, I'm so proud of you." Roman squeezes him. Mahaz makes happy noises. Nico giggles. Justice smirks softly. Roman looks at Justice. "I'm sorry but who are you?"

“Justice. Revenge is my... sister...”

"Some sister." Roman looks down then back at Justice. "Does she _actually_ care about me or did she just want someone to hurt?"

Justice sighs. “She grows attached to someone and then believes she has to defend their honor. However, her methods are always extreme, and I am done allowing her to hurt others.”

Roman nods "I still owe Nemo an apology. He probably thinks I hate him or something. Oh, and what happened to Patton?"

“He’s just angry that Nemo is in pain.”

"So, you calmed him down?"

“I’m hoping burning Revenge’s room will help him work through it.”

"Burn down... Doesn't Patton have pyrophobia and faints when _near_ fire?"

Nico’s eyes widen. “I’ll be back.” She sinks out to the dark side and runs upstairs. Lue, Evan and Raven are around Patton outside the burning room.

Patton is burned a little and unconscious. Evan looks up. "Nico! What is going on? Patton he-"

“I know.” Nico kneels down to him. “Justice told him to go burn Revenge’s room down. We weren’t thinking of his pyrophobia.”

"Justice? Revenge?"

“They’re grey sides. Sisters. Revenge kicked me out of my body.” Nico picks Patton up. 

“I’ll take him.” Lue takes him from Nico who sighs and lets him. Lue sinks out.

Evan stands up. "Look I'm sorry about what I did. It was a little extreme, but I'm just worried about Lue."

“I know.” Nico crosses her arms and leans on the wall. She closes her eyes. _‘Too many conflicting interests. Too many crossfires.’_

“Is Pete and Mahaz okay?” Raven asks. 

“Yes, I believe so.” Lue rises up and Nico opens her again. “Okay. Let me start over. When Roman made a form for me in the Imagination, Revenge piggybacked on me without anyone knowing. As she started taking over, our memories began to mingle, and I started remembering the gray sides. Then she kicked me out and cut off Nemo’s wings. The Mindscape brought me back and I killed her, then Roman, of course, blamed himself, then Patton comes after him and gives him another bruised ego. Justice, Guilt, and I came, and Justice talked Patton down and he asked us to let him burn Revenge’s room. We helped Roman and he reminded us of Patton’s pyrophobia.” She takes a deep breath. 

Lue nods slowly. “Still doesn’t explain who Revenge and Justice are. Are they like Guilt and Condemnation?”

“Yes, especially one sibling is more extreme of the two,” Nico says. “Revenge was formed by Malice when Justice felt Malice’s punishments to be unfair. Guilt, Condemnation and me... we were formed by Depression.”

“So Guilt is your brother?” Lue frowns. 

“More or less.”

Evan rubs his face. "I'm going to bed this is your problem. Come on Lue."

Lue looks between Evan and Nico, heart torn between two places. Nico puts her hand on Lue’s shoulder. “There’s nothing you can do up there. Just rest.” She offers him a smile. Lue sighs. 

“I wasn’t there-“

“No. You weren’t. You were exactly where you needed to be and even if you were up there what exactly would you have done? There was nothing to be done. For now, we rest and wait.”

Lue looks at her gold eyes filled with determination. “If you need me, you’ll come get me, right?”

“Of course. But don’t worry about it.”

Lue nods. “Okay.” He follows Evan down to his room.

Nico turns to Raven. “Mahaz said his first words.” She smiles softly. 

Raven looks up. “Really?”

Nico nods. “Papa Ro. Roman was so proud.” 

Raven smirks then frowns. “I missed it.”

Nico takes his hand and gives it a squeeze. “Don’t worry. They’ll be plenty more.”

Raven smiles at her before going back to his room. Nico sinks back into the castle in the Imagination, Justice and Guilt having left.

"Where is Patton?" Roman looks at Nico. Mahaz is currently invested in learning how to open and close the buttons on Roman’s suit. 

“In his room. He has some minor burns and passed out.”

Roman relaxes "That's not bad..." He looks at Mahaz. "Take him back to Pete she's probably worried about him."

“Okay.” Nico tries to take him, but he frowns and clings to Roman. “Come on.” She takes him and he lets out an angry scream. Nico raises a brow. “You good their big guy?” Mahaz hums angrily.

Roman chuckles "You want Papa Ro?"

Mahaz makes grabby hands. Nico smirks and gives him back, shaking his head. “Okay. Picking favorites, I see?” Roman chuckles and bounces him. Mahaz giggles happily. Roman looks up at Nico and frowns sadly. Nico looks at him and sighs. “I’ll give you space.”

"Actually, about that... I don't think we can be together. It feels like every time we get close something bad happens."

Nico closes her eyes. “I know.”

"It might be for the best." Roman shrugs "I'm just not..." He sighs "I can't love you. So just do yourself a favor and hate me."

Nico laughs sadly. “That’s impossible...”

"At least pretend." Roman looks at Nico. "Please? Don't love me, it only hurts us both, and apparently the others too."

Nico bites her lip. “That’s not what you want...”

"No, what I want I can't get, and I'm done trying."

Mahaz frowns and pats Roman’s face. Nico looks down. “Okay.” Mahaz looks at her and whines. Roman rocks Mahaz. Nico sinks out. Mahaz whines louder and looks between Roman and where Nico was. He pats Roman’s arm rapidly.

"What?" Mahaz continues whining. Roman sinks out to Nico's room.

Nico looks up from her desk. “What?” She looks confused.

"I think he wants you." Nico stands and goes to take him. Mahaz whines and holds onto Roman. "What do you want?" Mahaz reaches for Nico, still holding on to Roman tightly. Roman moves closer so he can touch Nico. Mahaz holds onto Nico’s cloak and Roman’s sash. He tries to bring them together with his tiny arms. "You know for a blind baby you know where Nico is."

“Yeah...” Nico frowns.

Roman moves closer to Nico. "I think he ships us."

Nico smirks sadly and tries to pull away but he grips her cloak tightly. She sighs. “Mahaz...” she tries to uncurl his fingers from her cloak, but he whines more. Nico looks at Roman. Roman shrugs not sure what to do. Mahaz continues holding both of them. He yawns.

"I think cupid is tired." Nico tries to step away, but Mahaz hums and keeps his fist tight. Nico pets his head and closes her eyes. She opens them, tears forming, and this time takes her cloak away from Mahaz, despite his protests. She goes to her bed and sits down. Roman frowns "What's wrong?"

Nico’s shoulders drop. “He doesn’t want us to give up hope.” She doesn’t look up.

Roman looks down "We're not giving up we are just facing the facts. Us together hurts everyone." Mahaz smacks his cheek. "Give it a rest! You’re a baby what do you know?" Mahaz frowns. Roman sighs "It's your nap time come on." Roman heads for the door. Mahaz still whines. Roman goes to Mahaz room. Mahaz pouts. Roman pulls him off and puts him in his crib. Mahaz cries. Roman sighs "I don't like this either! I would love to be with Nico. I would love to be happy, but I can't! I can never be happy. I will be alone for the rest of Thomas's life." Roman sighs "The one and lonely." Roman leaves Mahaz room.

Mahaz screams. Pete rises up. “I thought you were with Virgil!?” She picks him up and rocks him.


	12. The Protect Roman Army

Nemo groans and blinks. He shoots up and lets out a scream. He falls back onto the bed, panting for a moment before he rolls off and sinks into Roman’s room. Roman looks up. "Nemo, I'm so sorry-" Nemo runs over and hugs him. "Nemo-"

“It wasn’t your fault. Don’t you dare blame yourself. Don’t you fucking dare.” Nemo winces.

"Nemo go back to your room, you’re still healing."

Nemo shakes his head. “P-Patton...”

"It's fine." Roman sinks out to Nemo's room.

It’s still dark. Nemo pulls back and looks him over, seeing he isn’t bruised. He sighs and holds onto him. _‘Always taking.’_

Roman rubs his arm. "Let's get you to bed." Roman leads him to it.

Nemo continues to cling to him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

"You didn't know, I didn't say anything." Roman sits on the bed.

“I never asked. I was scared I couldn’t help so I never tried.” Tears form in his eyes.

"If you couldn't then there was nothing you could have done. Please ignore everything Revenge said."

“She’s right though. You do everything for us. When do we ever do anything for you...?” Nemo holds him tightly. “I’m so, so, so sorry.”

"I do it because I care. I never wanted anything in return, I never wanted this."

“It doesn’t mean we should’ve neglected you.”

"Just let it go."

“No, I was wrong. I- I- I wasn’t there. I couldn’t- should’ve of-“ Nemo breathes quickly.

"Nemo breath please."

Nemo coughs and sobs. His back burns, the bandages irritating his wounds. His head spins and he’s scared. He needs to make this right but he doesn’t know how when everyone is just pitying him and he can’t help and he’s selfish and wasn’t there he’s always sorry always crying and gets attention for it and Roman is here now putting up with his sobbing mess and he’s supposed to be helping him and- Nemo doesn’t realize he’s screaming.

"Nemo!" Roman calls Logan. Logan answers the phone.

"Hel-" he is met with screaming. Logan pulls the phone away from his ear.

"Logan help Nemo's room." Logan looks at Virgil before dropping his phone and running into Nemo's room.

Logan looks at Roman. "What did you do?"

"N-nothing I swear!"

Virgil runs in. Nemo is crying on Roman’s lap, holding onto him tightly. “Nemo?” Virgil questions. 

“HURRRTSSSSSS!”

Logan rips Nemo's shirt off. "I need to change his bandages. Roman?" Roman summons a first aid kit. Logan gets to work. Nemo gasps for air, squeezing his eyes shut. He stuffs his face into Roman’s chest and screams again.

Virgil gets the IV set up. “We took him off too soon...”

Roman holds onto him. _'Why couldn't they save him too?'_

"Then put him back on!"

“I’m working on it!” Virgil snaps back. 

Nemo sobs harder. “P-Please! Ssstop f-fighting!”

"Were not fighting, were panicking. There is a difference." Logan rewraps his wound. Nemo bites Roman’s sash and screams again. Roman pets his head.

Nemo shakes. “I’m sssorrry. I’m so- sorry-“ _‘Always sorry. Sorry means nothing. I’m looost~! Help me find...’_ his mind starts becoming disoriented, singing to a song that doesn’t exist. His eyes shut and he goes limp against Roman.

Roman lowers his head. Logan finishes wrapping the wound. "Ok, that should do it." Virgil gives the needle to Logan.

Logan carefully puts it in. He looks at Roman with a glare. Roman frowns and stands up. "I-I'm going to go now." Roman sinks out.

Nemo moans and blinks. His ears are filled with static and he can’t see anything. He hears Roman and feels his weight leaves the bed. He blinks and his vision clears, but his ears still ring. “R-Roman...?”

"He's gone." Logan pets his head.

Nemo whines. “Ro...” Virgil frowns and holds his hand.

"He can't hurt you anymore."

Nemo frowns. “He didn’t hurt me. He never hurt me.” He sits up and looks at Logan. “Who told you he hurt me?”

"Roman did, him and Nico."

“No, they didn’t. It was Revenge. Not Roman. Not Nico.”

"Revenge? Revenge for what?"

“Revenge. A gray side.”

“Nemo, you’re delusional. There’s no Revenge.” Virgil says. Nemo looks hurt.

"Virgil that's not fair, we don't know all the gray sides. There could be a Revenge. I believe it more than Nico cutting off Nemo's wings."

Nemo wipes his eyes. “Revenge took my wings because I wasn’t there for Roman. He needed help and I didn’t help him and took everyone’s attention and now everyone is attacking him.” Nemo cries. “Stop looking at me! Stop pitying me! It’s Roman you should be worried about! It’s Roman you should be crying over! He’s taken more shit than this and he’s still summonsing things for you before you even ask.” He points to the first aid kit.

"Roman can handle himself. Besides he's too prideful to ask for help or take it."

Nemo hits his bed and cries. Virgil sighs and turns the IV up. “NOOOOOO!” Nemo screams.

"Nemo you’re in pain."

“ROMAN’S IN PAIN! ROMAN’S ALWAYS IN FUCKING PAIN BECAUSE OF US!”

"Roman is a drama king. He's fine."

“NO, HE’S NOT!!!” Nemo sobs and holds himself. “He-HE he’s n-not- he’s not fine- not fine- not...” his eyes slide closed again, and he goes limp. Logan sighs and lays Nemo down.

Virgil frowns, watching him. “What do you think?”

"I think if it makes Nemo happy let's check on Roman."

Virgil sighs and stands. “I still think he’s delusional.”

"Maybe but it doesn't hurt." Logan and Virgil walk to Roman's room there is a note on his door. 'Went Questing be back later.' Logan sighs "We will have to check on Roman later." Virgil rolls his eyes and heads downstairs. Logan goes to his room.  
  
...  
  
No one has seen Roman for 3 days. The sign stays up saying he's questing. Nemo and Nico have tried to go after him, but the others shoot them down each time saying that Roman doesn't like it when his quest gets interrupts and that he's fine. Patton watches Nemo like a hawk so he stays in bed and rests. Logan keeps giving Logical reasons for why Roman is taking so long one being he's been gone for a week a few times and came back fine. With Roman gone and the increase of people in the house, food has gone down a lot some light bulbs have gone out and battery power objects are out of battery given that they never stockpile supplies.

Nemo waits for his opportunity. Patton finally leaves him for a few minutes to get his plate for lunch and he tries sinking into the Imagination. He makes it. He appears in the kingdom the sky grey and cloudy, the atmosphere depressing. He looks around and leaps up to take off, only to be painfully reminded of his loss. He grits his teeth to push down tears and starts running towards the castle. He makes it to a crumbling castle. His eyes widen and he pants. He looks around. He finds a young girl crying bruise and dirty. He kneels down to her. “Hey. Are you okay?” He offers his hand. The little girl looks up she backs away. Nemo frowns and takes a few steps back. “What is it?”

"Stranger danger." 

Nemo nods. “Okay. I’m- I’m Prince Nemo. From the Kingdom of Truth.” _‘I hope I’m remembering this right...’_

"Are you here to save king Roman?"

Nemo nods. “Yes. Can you tell me what happened?”

"Last week the dragon witch attack the kingdom. King Roman fought hard but the dragon knocked him out and took him away."

Nemo pales. Nico comes up behind him. “Did you see which way she took him?” Nemo jumps. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

The little girl points north. "Please hurry." 

Nemo nods. “We will.” Nico takes his hand and drags him towards a pen where a few of the remain royal horses are. Nemo stops in his tracks. “Nico, I’ve never ridden.”

“It’s easy.” She unties a beautiful black stallion with a white star and leads him to the mounting block. “Just sit up tall, keep your head up and heels down.”

Nemo hesitantly walks forward and places his hand on the stallion’s shoulder. _‘Hey.’_ Nemo jumps and screams. Nico and the horse spook. 

“And don’t scream!” Nico says and calms herself down. 

Nemo continues staring at the horse. “LUE!?” He walks forward and places his hand on the stallion’s neck, petting him. 

_‘Yup. I’ve been stuck here for three days. I was wondering when someone was going to finally come.’  
_

“Time in the Imagination works differently than in the Mindscape. Roman’s been here for three days by our time, so you’ve probably only been here for a day.” Nemo says. 

Lue snorts and paws the ground. “You’re pretty as a horse.” Nico mumbles and Nemo and Lue look at her. Nico coughs. “Okay. Lue, help him not fall off.” She helps Nemo mount. Nemo sits down in the saddle and immediately grips the pommel. “Shhh. Nemo breathe. Look up where you want to go. Relax your weight into the saddle. Keep your heels down and your legs under you.”

“That’s a lot to remember.” Nemo comments, frozen stiff. Lue shifts his weight and Nemo squeezes his legs. Lue starts walking forwards. “W-wHOA!” Nemo jerks back on the reins and Lue toss his head, giving a small buck. “AH! NICO I DONT WANNA DO THIS PLEASE!”

“Shhh! You’re okay.” Nico rubs his leg and takes the reins from him. She slides the bridle off Lue and trades it for a biteless hackamore. She hands the new reins to Nemo. “There. Now you won’t hurt his mouth.” She goes to Snow and hops on with ease. “Come on.” She starts out the gate. 

Lue follows and Nemo squeezes his legs. Lue pins his ears back and tosses his head. _‘Relax. The tenser you are the more likely you are to fall off.’  
_

“Not. Helping. Lue.” Nemo says through clenched teeth. 

Nico turns around. “Nemo watch Snow’s tail. Watch the trees, watch my hair. Feel Lue’s steps and match your breathing to him.” Nemo takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. He follows her instructions and soon they’re trotting. He tenses and holds on to the saddle. “Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down.” Nico says over her shoulder, guiding his post. “Match Lue’s rhythm. Riding is a dance. You have to listen to each other and work together. Close your eyes if you have to. Trust Lue.” Nemo continues breathing deeply and closes his eyes. He finds the rhythm and follows it, feeling himself relax with each stride. “We’re going to canter. You can grip his mane if you want. You won’t hurt him. Horses’ manes aren’t sensitive like humans’ hair.” Nico says and signals Snow off. Lue takes off after her, Nemo intertwining his fingers in his long midnight black mane. He holds on for dear life. 

_‘Breathe.’_ Nemo thinks. _‘Breathe.’_ Suddenly, he feels themselves fall into harmony. They rise and fall on the same beat. Lue’s powerful legs swallow up the ground with ease as the wind rushes through his mane and across Nemo’s face. He feels free. He feels... like he’s flying again. Nico looks behind herself, watching Nemo with a proud smile. They continue on, galloping through the Imagination.

They ride for a while until a rustle of bushes and a flying arrow stops them landing in front of snow. Snow rears and Lue dives to the side. “WHOA!” Nemo pulls back on the reins and Lue tosses his head. Nico pulls out her sword and signals Snow to charge into the bushes. More arrows go flying missing Nico and snow. Two archers stand up and a man with a sword and shield stands as well.

More bandits come from Nemo's side trapping him and Lue's from escape. Snow kicks them and Nico stabs them. Lue neighs and runs into the forest. Nemo holds on and summons his Lariat. “NICO!” Nico and Snow emerge and gallop after them, deeper into the forest. They quickly lose the bandits.

“WATCH FOR TRAPS!” Nico says. She shoots a burst of shadows in front of them, revealing a net ahead. “HARD RIGHT!” Nico calls and Nemo and Lue follow. Nico sees a patch of grass that doesn't look right. “LEFT!” Snow pushes Lue left.

They miss the pit trap and continue their way through the forest. They soon it an open path. A dark castle comes into view. They slow to a trot and then stop to catch their breath. Nico glares at the castle. Nemo pets Lue who seems to relax under him. “What do we do?” Nemo asks. 

“We need to get a closer look. I’m not familiar with this part of the Imagination.” Nico guides Snow up a path. Lue and Nemo follow. Nico stops once they’re high enough to see the layout of the castle. The castle is huge but from Roman's countless tales of the war against the dragon witch, Nico knows they need to go to the throne room to get Roman. Which means the top of the 10 story castle. “I don’t know if Lue and Snow can come with us...” Nico says, still analyzing the castle. 

“What if he gets killed without us?” Nemo frowns. 

“He won’t.”

“But-“ 

“He won’t. Once we complete the mission and save Roman, the Imagination will let us all leave.” Nico says. “We need to get Roman from the top floor in the throne room. There are 10 stories and likely to be an army of people the Dragon Witch has cursed to become her servants.”

“... Do we have to kill them?” Nemo asks sadly. 

“Yes,” Nico replies without hesitation. Lue shifts his weight. 

Nemo sighs. “Okay let’s-“ an object lands beside him and Lue spooks and takes off further up the mountain. Snow takes Nico after them just as the dynamite explodes, sending rocks flying. They come to a collapsed bridge over a ravine. 

“We need to jump!” Nico yells. 

“WHAT!?” Nemo looks at her. They hear battle cries behind them. 

“Lean forward! Keep your heels down! Eyes up! Throw your heart over the jump and your horse will follow!” 

“What the fuck!?” Nemo and Lue both say and think.

Nico and Snow take it first, clearing it and landing, continuing on. Nemo breathes quickly. “Please don’t let us die. Please don’t let us die!”

_‘I won’t.’_ Lue assures and takes the jump. Nemo keeps his eyes up but feels himself sliding to the right. Lue lands and Nemo almost comes out of the saddle. He screams and holds on as Lue continues racing down the narrow mountain path, Nemo dangling over the drop-off. Lue turns his head and nudges Nemo back up into the saddle. Nemo takes deep breaths and they catch up with Nico who was watching the castle again. 

“This way. Absolute silence.” She and Snow head down into a new forest. Lue and Nemo follow. They sneak their way to the castle. Two guards block the front entrance. Nemo takes one out with his Lariat. Nico takes out the other with her shadows. They slide off the horses, Nemo looking back at Lue worriedly. Nico puts her hand on his shoulder. “If we take him, we’ll be slower.” Nemo frowns and looks to Lue.

“Stay safe.” Lue snorts and nods.

Nico and Nemo back their way up the castle. On the way, they take out guards and avoid traps thanks to Nico's insight. They eventually make it to the top. The dragon witch sits at the end of the throne room in her chair. She smirks. "About time. I was starting to get bored." She looks at her nails.

“Where is Roman?” Nico says, raising her sword.

"Like I would just tell you. A whole week? Man, you lot don't care." she laughs

Nico twirls her sword and approaches confidently. “Your remarks cannot harm me.”

"Ex Queen Nico. The Queen of bad luck." The dragon witch looks at Nemo. "And prince Nemo prince of truth. Here is some _truth_ for you. No one cares about the king. His heart is too broken to love anymore." she looks back at Nico. "I'm doing him a favor. Now he's not in your way anymore." she laughs.

Nemo tries to curl his wings around himself, forgetting they’re gone again. “He was never in the way.” Nico defends. “And we do care about him. If we didn’t, then why would we be here?”

"Because you _need_ him. The other realm that he is a part of? He makes everything, doesn't he? Without him who is feeding you selfish people?" 

Nemo backs away. Nico reaches a hand towards him, not taking her eyes off the Dragon Witch. “Nemo no...”

“She’s right though...”

“No! She’s wrong!” Nico turns to him. “We’ve been trying to get here since the first day he went missing and that was before the reserves started going down. The others mock us for trying to help him but we-“ she holds his hand. “We know the truth.” She turns and glares at the Dragon Witch. “The truth is we love Roman and are willing to die for him if need be! We love him for who he is not what he does! He is kind and selfless and you know what? WE DONT DESERVE HIM! None of us do! And yet he keeps giving and keeps serving even when we curse him and tell him everything is his fault!”

Nemo opens his eyes, Lariat beginning to glow again. “Roman... if you’re here or you can hear me. Know I don’t blame you for what happened. You are so good to all of us and we barely even notice. I need you to know how much you mean to us. To me. Ever since I first met you, you have protected your family from anything that came at you. You have always encouraged us when we were down and never asked for anything in return. You’ve survived so much and still hold yourself with pride. I am so sorry we forgot about you and I’m begging you for a second chance.”

The dragon witch growls. "You two might think that but I think it's clear what the others think. You know what? Take him, see if he _believes_ you." The dragon witch waves her hand and a passage opens from the wall. "Go to your fallen king." She disappears.

“He’s not fallen yet,” Nico growls and they run through the passage.

They come to the end. Roman tired, dirty, bruise, starve and chain arms up to the wall. He lifts his head at Nico and Nemo and groans. "No more visions witch. I can't take it anymore." he looks down.

Nico rushes to him. “It’s not a vision this time. Nemo help me!”

“Are you sure it’s not a trap?” Nemo asks and Nico stops. She looks at Nemo and places her hand on Roman’s head.

Nico pulls her hand away. “It’s him.” Her shadows encircle the cuffs and disintegrate them. Nemo places his hand on them, and they glow and break. Nico catches Roman. “Let’s go.”

“Can’t we just sink out?”

“Not if the Imagination is still in RPG mode.” Roman doesn't hold Nico back. He wants to he really does. He wants to believe that after a week they finally notice. That this time will be real, but his hope got crushed by the 10th rescue. He closes his eyes and just waits for it to be over.

They go back into the throne room. “I can just take off from the window and- oh...” Nemo sighs and tightens his grip on his Lariat.

Roman stays quiet. They try to leave but can't. _'Seems he doesn't believe. You can't leave until he does.'_ the dragons witch's voice echoes in Nico and Nemo's head.

Nemo clenches his jaw. Nico sets Roman down. “Roman, look at me.” Roman looks at her blank face. “It’s me. Me and Nemo are here and we’re sorry we weren’t able to come sooner. We’re so, so sorry. We love you so much.” 

Nemo holds Roman’s hand. “I don’t blame you for what happened. I never did. You are so good to us, we don’t deserve you. We don’t deserve your kindness or bravery. I’m so sorry we forgot about you. Please give us- give me a second chance.”

Roman pulls his hand away. "You can't fool me witch. I'm tired of being fooled." He looks them in the eye. "I am a tool and nothing else. The only one that truly loves me for me I can't be with them without something bad happening. This _prince_ gets no happy ever after. So just leave me alone. You have made your point." 

Nico opens her mouth but Mahaz appears between them all. “MAHAZ!?” Nico screams. Mahaz crawls into Roman’s lap and holds onto him. 

Nemo places the Lariat over Roman’s neck. “You are not just a tool. You are family and you are my friend. Bad things happen all the time, not just when you and Nico are together. And Roman-“ Nemo holds his hand tightly, tears shining in his eyes as he looks into Roman’s. “I. Love. You. I was an idiot who didn’t know how to show it before, so I never did. I am sorry I never tried to learn how.”  


Roman looks at Mahaz. "You're new," he mumbles.

Mahaz pats his face. “Papa Ro!” 

Nemo and Nico look at each other. “The Dragon Witch has never seen Mahaz before, and if she has it was only when he was born. How could she mimic him as a year old if she doesn’t even know he existed?” Nico says.

Roman holds his little hand. "Please... is this real?"

Mahaz squishes Roman’s cheeks. “ ‘ehs!” Roman holds Mahaz and cries dry tears. He coughs a little.

Mahaz pats his face again. Nemo and Nico hug him. “We love you so much, Roman,” Nemo says.

Roman gasps and sobs. "I waited so long." He coughs

Nico rubs his back. “I know. Let’s get you home.” She picks him up. The doors to the throne room open and a battalion awaits them. Nico holds Roman and Mahaz protectively while Nemo summons his sword, standing in front of them.

The dragon witch appears "You win this time Prince Nemo and Queen Nico. Take better care of him. Who knows when he will be back here again." She laughs. The castle disappears and they are magically on the ground.

Nemo and Nico breathe a sigh of relief. Lue whinnies and he and Snow canter toward them, coming to a stop. “Lue’s still a horse.” Nemo comments. “Does that mean we can’t leave or?”

“I don’t... know. We rescued Roman. The story should have ended.” Nico says. 

Lue and Snow stand alert. Lue lets out a neigh and pushes Nemo aside as a harpoon flies past. Nico shields Roman and Mahaz and sinks out. She rises up in the commons and looks around. “What the...”

Roman leans on Nico. Logan looks up from his book. "Oh, Roman your back." He looks him over. "I'm guessing it didn't go well." 

Roman sighs "No Logan, it didn't go well." 

Patton comes down the stairs. "Oh, Roman your back. Hey, can you refill the pantry? We are out of food." 

"Ok..." 

Nico’s eyes widen. “ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!? HE’S BEATEN, STARVED, DEHYDRATED, AND NEAR DYING AND YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT THE PANTRY!?” 

Sham comes running downstairs. “ROMAN!”

“Sham! Help me!” Nico lifts Roman and goes upstairs.

Patton frowns but has nothing to defend himself with. Roman groans "What about Nemo and Lue?"

“I’ll go back for them once you’re stable.” Nico lays him on the bed. Sham brings in a washrag and Pete brings the first aid kit. 

“Mahaz!” She picks him up. Mahaz whines and reaches for Roman.

"I'm fine-" Roman goes into a coughing fit.

Pete frowns and holds Roman’s hand, giving him energy while Sham and Nico clean him up. “Sham get some soup and water.” Sham nods and sinks out.

"If they are still stuck that means there is a goal, they need to meet that didn't involve us." 

Nico nods. “Can I still get in to help them?”

"Yes, but you will get stuck until that goal is finished." Roman tries to sit up.

“Shh...” Nico gently pushes him back down.

"Nico please I-" he coughs again.

Sham comes back with soup and water. “Thank you.” Nico takes the water and offers it to Roman in between his coughing fit. Roman drinks it thirstily. Nico pulls it away when he finishes and hands it to Sham who sinks out to refill it. Pete keeps giving him energy. Nico feeds him the soup.

"I'm sorry." 

“Don’t be. None of this was your fault.”

"I just wanted to get away for a bit. Clear my head but then..."

“I know.” Nico continues feeding him. “It’s okay. They shouldn’t be treating you like this but what me and Nemo said is what we mean.”

"Why did it take so long?"

“They wouldn’t let Nemo leave. You were gone for three days here. I got there after a day, Lue got there sometime yesterday and was a horse for some reason... Nemo got there today and started the story.” Roman looks down.

Pete frowns. “Why are they all being so mean? Did gray sides take over them too?”

“I don’t know but I am not letting my family be turned into a playground for them,” Nico growls and holds Roman’s hand. Sham rises up with the glass refilled.

"No, it’s no gray sides work against us. They have always been like this. I have changed a lot in the past 2 years. I was cock, rude, prideful. I show them that I didn't need to be taken care of. I took care of my own problems. I come back beaten and bruised. They're numb to it. Everything I say comes out negative and hurtful." Roman shrugs "I've grown numb to it." Roman takes the glass. "It's why they don't see the problem. They think I'm the problem." He starts drinking.

“How do we show them they’re the problem?” Pete frowns.

"We don't." Roman sits up. "Just drop it." 

“No! Mom! Dad! This isn’t fair!” Sham nods in agreement.

"Life isn't fair." Roman sighs "I can take a beating I'm quite good at it. I won't be the cause of any more drama. I'm tired of drama." 

“But-“

“Roman.” Justice stands at the door. “Listen to your daughter, Nico, Sham, and everyone who truly loves you. They want what’s best for you.”

"Yeah? and what will happen? Break Logan's legs? Kill Virgil? Burn Patton? Nemo has already been hurt because of justice and revenge. No more." Roman stands up.

“He was hurt by Revenge. I will not stand for that, but they need to see their wrongs. Not by an outburst, but in a calm collected setting where the facts are laid out to them respectfully.”

"Fine but I have two people to save." Roman sinks out. 

...  
  
Lue throws Nemo onto his back and takes off. “LUE!” Lue keeps galloping. “LUE! SINK OUT!”

_‘I CAN’T!’_

Nemo grips his mane tightly. They make it into a forest of flowers, the air full of pollen. Nemo sneezes multiple times. He blinks and sees Patton walking towards them in cropped shorts. He blinks again, but he’s still there. He leans on Lue’s shoulder seductively. “Hey Daddy~” Lue’s ears turn every direction, but he doesn’t see or hear anything, yet he feels Nemo’s lust growing. He tosses his head and side steps. Patton frowns and follows them. “Where are you going Daddy~?” Nemo swallows. 

Lue bucks and Nemo lets out a scream, grabbing onto Lue’s mane. “Lue! What-“ he looks back and Patton is gone. He blinks and looks around. “We should... go...” Lue snorts in agreement and keeps walking. Further, deeper. They enter a narrow canyon and Nemo ducks his head to avoid branches. They are led by rose bushes on either side, the thorns long and sharp. 

Lue rumbles uneasily. _‘I don’t like this.’_

“I know.” Nemo pets his neck. “We must have our own story to complete. Once we do, we can go home.”

They keep walking until they come to two symbols, one a heart made of thorns, the other a feather. They look between the two. “Lust and Truth?” Nemo asks. 

_‘Seems like it.’_ Lue walks them closer. Nemo reaches up and hesitates over his. He moves his hand and touches Lue’s. A passage to the left opens. And the symbol glows while Nemo’s crumbles away. Lue walks on. 

“Let’s hope that was the right one...” Nemo says. 

The path gets foggy and slippery for Lue’s hoofs. He makes more nervous noises. “You’re okay,” Nemo says, though he hopes his passage doesn’t get any narrower or he might have to get off. 

“Lue... the enchanter...” a voice echoes around them. 

Nemo leans down closer to Lue. “Who’s there?”

A figure wearing a shimmering green robe appears from the fog, his body green. Lue’s eyes widen. _‘Evan...’_

“Have you enjoyed your time as an animal? Or perhaps it wasn’t such a shock given you were already a dirty slut.” Nemo feels Lue tense underneath him. “It’s unfortunate you had an affair with the Queen. I actually liked you. But I must do as the King wishes.”

“You cursed Lue to be a horse?” Nemo asks. 

“He always loved degradation. Isn’t that right?”

_‘No. That was the one thing I could never take much of...’_ Lue mind speaks to Nemo. 

“How do we lift the curse?” Nemo asks. 

“How do you think? Like every curse, it has a purpose. Figure out what that purpose is, and you might just get a second chance. Lose it and- well... let’s just say no one is likely to kiss you again.”

“Nico would.” Nemo mumbles. Lue looks back at him. “In a ‘omg it’s a horse!’ Kind of way.”

“You have one hour.” Evan disappears. 

“One hour to do what!?” Nemo calls. 

_‘Were you even listening?’_ Lue snorts and keeps walking. 

“Yes, but I don’t know what we’re even looking for. I almost never come questing. I hate it. Nothing’s real and yet you can get so lost in it and it feels real. You believe it to be real and it’s not. I’ve got enough of that in my head, I don’t need it in my life.”

Lue sighs. They come across a small village. _‘Think this is it?’_

“Must be if it’s in our path.” Nemo slides off and walks to one of the doors. He knocks. A girl timidly opens it. “Hey... I’m Prince Nemo of the Kingdom of Truth.” The girl’s eyes widen, and she covers her face in shame. Nemo frowns and reaches for her. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t touch me.” The girl’s voice is small and rough. “You shouldn’t have laid your eyes on me.”

“Why?”

“WHERE’D THAT WHORE GO!?” An angry voice calls. 

Lue tenses and looks at Nemo sadly. Nemo looks back at the girl. “Oh…” he quickly opens the door and walks in, Lue behind him.

“What are you doing!?” The girl squeaks. 

“Shh… we’re going to protect you.”

“W-why? Why would a prince protect me?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do. You don’t deserve this.” Nemo watches the man through a crack in the wood. 

“B-But- I’m-“

“I know. And I don’t care what they call you.” Nemo looks back at her with compassion. “You are just a girl, doing what you can to survive. What you’ve been trained to do.” He looks up at Lue. “I know what that’s like.”

Lue lowers his head and nuzzles her. The girl hesitantly pets him. “I can’t leave.”

“Yes, you can. We’ll get you out.”

“No… we’re all property of the Enchanter…”

“...What?” Nemo looks at her. “All?” They look and other girls and boys peek out from behind the crates, some older and more hardened, others still in their teens, scared and hopeful. Nemo looks back to the first girl. “What’s your name?”

“We don’t have names.”

“Then what do they call-“ he cuts himself off and sighs. “Okay. I’m calling you Rose. Is that okay?”

Rose smiles a bit. “Yeah. I like that.”

“So you said you're all property of the Enchanter?” Nemo asks and looks to Lue who looks down. 

“Yes. We can’t leave unless he lets us, but he disappeared after the affair with the Queen.”

Lue closes his eyes. Nemo watches him. “And so, all he has to do is just let you go?”

They all look at each other. “No. There has to be a sacrifice…”

“What kind of sacrifice?”

“The people here are all poisoned by the Enchanter. Someone has to take on their lust in order for us to leave, otherwise, we’d die the moment we step foot outside the village.” Nemo nods slowly. “Many have tried, seeing as we live in hell anyways, death can’t be much worse.” A kid that reminds Nemo of Raven says. “But no one was strong enough.”

Nemo looks up at Lue who looks determined. “Are you sure?”

_‘Someone has to.’  
_

“You’re a horse.”

_‘Doesn’t mean I can’t still do my job.’  
_

“Lue, I don’t even want to think of how that will work.”

_‘Maybe that’s not how I’m supposed to deal with it. I need to think outside the box.’  
_

The people look between Nemo and Lue. “Are… are you the Enchanter?” Rose asks. 

Lue nods. “He was cursed after the affair with the Queen,” Nemo explains. They look scared. Lue keeps his head low. “He’s not going to hurt you. He has agreed to help you escape. He will take on the village’s lust.” They look at Lue hopeful. He looks at them sadly. 

_‘Tell them I’m sorry.’  
_

“He says he’s sorry for trapping you here.” Nemo pauses and listens. “And that none of you deserved this.” He pauses again. “He hopes you all are able to make a new life for yourselves once you escape.”

Rose hugs Lue, to his surprise. She starts crying. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” The others join in, hugging the very confused equine until he relaxes and ‘hugs’ them back by nuzzling them. 

“Found them!” A voice outside the door says. 

“The warehouse. We should have known.”

Nemo stands and draws his sword as the door opens. “I am Prince Nemo of the Kingdom of Truth! These people are under my protection and if you so much as touch them, you will face court to the fullest extent!”

“You’ll be disowned from just being in the same room with them!” The men and women laugh. Nemo looks back at Lue who nods. He charges out the door and through the crowd. 

“Hey! Get that horse out of here!”

“Nah! Keep ‘em! Might be good for somethin’ later!”

Lue snorts and paws the ground he neighs and rears up, hooves striking the earth. All the people turn to him and surround him. Nemo herds the people out of the warehouse and stands in front of them protectively. Pink tendrils of light fly up from the townsfolk and shoot towards Lue. He closes his eyes and flinches. His mind spins with the pressure of all their lust. He lays down and squeezes his eyes shut, shaking. Vision after vision after vision, all with a choice. Fuck? Or no?

He sees each side, all ready for him, all ready to take him or obey him. He tears himself away from Roman, Nico, Nemo, everyone. The last one is Evan. He gazes at him longingly for a moment. He goes towards him then stops. _‘What am I supposed to do?’_ He thinks. 

“Baby~” Lue closes his eyes. He opens them and sees himself with Nico and Virgil on either side of him. He closes them again and Evan is there. “Lovebug… come on. Prove you love me.” 

Lue gingerly cups Evan’s face. “Not like this. I need to be able to show you outside the bedroom. Fucking isn’t going to make all our problems magically go away.” Evan closes his eyes and disappears. 

Lue opens his eyes. He’s surrounded by the townsfolk who are all sitting down, holding their heads. The now free people cheer and Nemo smiles at him proudly. Lue stands up and walks over to them. He sniffs Nemo who smirks and pets him. “Good job.” Rose hugs him again and Lue nickers in a friendly manner. 

A mist swirls and Evan stands amidst it. “Have you figured it out?” He crosses his arms. 

“I’m not trapped,” Lue says confidently. “I have just as much choice when it comes to doing or not doing it. My job doesn’t depend on how often I do it, it depends on my attitude about it. If I’m addicted to it to the point where it feels like I have to, then I am just as imprisoned as these people.” Lue looks to the freed people then back to Evan. “But I’m holding the key. I can let myself out. Lust can only control me as much as I let it.”

Evan smiles. “Well done.” Mist surrounds Lue for a moment before it falls, leaving Lue in his human body and Nemo standing in the middle of a field alone, the village and people gone. 

Nemo hugs Lue. “I am so proud of you.”

Roman rises up. Roman looks at Nemo and Lue. "Hey" he pants and holds his side. "Are you guys ok?"

“Yeah, we’re fine. What are you doing here?” Nemo frowns and goes to him.

"Need to make sure you guys were ok. The imagination can get dangerous when the people in it are having a dilemma. It is nice sometimes but dangerous if you’re not strong enough to face it."

Nemo nods and smiles proudly at Lue who smiles sheepishly. “I mean... it was about time I faced it, right?”

"So, can we leave?"

“We should be able to.” Nemo takes both their hands and they sink out to Roman’s room. They rise up and Nico is explaining what happened to Sham, Pete, Ori, and Terra.

Terra looks over and hugs Roman. "Roman! I'm so sorry. I didn't know! I love you so much, I keep telling them that they show you love enough but-" 

"Woah Terra it's ok-" 

"IT'S NOT OK!" Everyone yells.

“They need to know,” Nemo says.

Roman sighs "Fine." 

"Roman you deserve respect! You’re not in the wrong. It was wrong of them to make you feel this way. Attentively or not they hurt you. We won't let that stand." Terra looks determine. Ori hugs Roman.

"They lower your self-worth. Made you feel like a tool. My Dad isn't a tool. He's the best Daddy in the world." Ori squeezes him.

“That’s right!” Pete hugs him. 

“Papa Ro!” Mahaz exclaims. 

“You better believe it, little guy.” Lue smiles and smirks at Roman caringly. “Papa Ro is the best around.”

“He is the kindest, bravest, most selfless person I know.” Nemo smiles proudly at him. Nico smiles at all of them.

Roman smiles and hugs Terra and Ori. "I'm not that great." He blushes 

"Are you kidding me? Roman, you risk your like to save me and Dad from Depression."

"You gave yourself up to save me from Depression," Ori says

"You taught me to be confident in myself and to take pride in what I've accomplished. You pulled me through the Insecurity disease." Nemo says.  
  


"You didn't teach me theater as a way to keep things inside and wouldn't mentor me when I needed no one," Sham says.

"You forgave me and offered what you could to help me," Lue says.

"You taught me what a good man should be and did everything in your power to keep me safe," Pete says and bounces Mahaz. Roman chuckles

Nico takes Roman's hand and looks him in the eyes. "You have done so much for all of us. Please. Let us defend you for once."

Roman smiles big, overflow in pride and love it's everything he wanted. He laughs "If I wasn't dehydrated, I think I would cry." Roman hugs Nico.

Nico holds him tightly and rubs his back. "We're going to make this right."

Roman nods and takes deep breaths. Everyone moves over and hugs Roman. "I've never felt so much love in my life."

"Well, we're not going to let you forget it anytime soon. I DECLARE A NEW DECREE!" Lue says dramatically. "Every time the king is seen he must be attacked with hugs!"

Nemo laughs. "ALL IN FAVOR!"

"I!" Everyone yells and squeezes Roman. Roman laughs 

"You're crushing me!" He whines.

"FEEL THE LOVE!" Lue shouts and laughs. 

"DON'T FEEL IT!" Sham giggles.

"The love is crushing me!" Roman laughs "But seriously I'm sore please let go." They all slowly let go. Roman takes a deep breath. "Thanks, sorry being chain to a wall for a week hurts after a while."

"No, it's okay," Nemo assures and helps support him. He offers him some pain killers.

Roman takes them. "So, we need to talk to Patton, Virgil, and Logan. The 3 people who know me the longest."

Nico nods. "Then let's go. Terra, can you bring them all to the commons please?"

"Sure? Why me?"

Nico shrugs. "Sham can go with you."

Ori looks at Roman. "They might have known you the longest, but they don't know you the best." Nemo nods in agreement.

Roman smiles "Thanks, Ori." Roman kisses her head.

Terra smiles "Ok me and Sham will me you downstairs. Roman protection squad move out!" Roman laughs. 

A couple of minutes later Terra and Sham come down with Logan, Patton, and Virgil. The others sitting on the couch in a protective way around Roman. Patton looks at them and gives a nervous smile. "What's going on?"

"We have a case to make," Nico says.

"A case?" Logan raises a brow.

"Yes. We believe you have been treating Roman unfairly." the others nod in agreement. "What do you believe?"

Terra leads them to three chairs. They sit down. Logan looks at them. "I would like to know _how_ we have been treating Roman unfairly?"

"He was gone for three days and you prohibited anyone from going after him to help him. And the moment he gets back bloody, bruised, and starving you barely raise a brow and ask him to refill the pantry." Nico says.

"You shunned him when he tried to comfort me and treated him like he was the one who cut my wings off," Nemo says.

"None of you ask if he's okay and you treat him like a wizard that's there to just summon and give you whatever you need," Lue says.

"Roman hates it when we go after him during quests and it's common for him to come back like this. He always tells us he's fine and not to worry."

Patton frowns "I will admit my timing was bad, but this is just common Roman behavior."

"In my defense, I was working on the information that Roman gave me. Which was that he was responsible for the event." Logan points out.

"Have you ever thought that maybe he tells you he's fine because the moment he raises his voice he gets shot down and called dramatic or a whiner?" Sham asks. 

"And maybe that-" Lue looks at Logan. "Was because he truly believes he was solely responsible for it, but you should have known he was emotional and it was up to you to dig deeper and find the truth instead of just accepting what you were told at face value."

"And I did try to tell you that it wasn't him, but you-" Nemo looks at Virgil. "Wouldn't listen."

"You were on high dose pain killers."

"You put me on as I was telling you."

"You were in a lot of pain and your fight or flight was kicking in. Nico- Revenge- whoever! Scarred you and made you believe you had to protect Roman or you would get hurt. Just. Like. Malice. Did." Virgil crosses his arms.

"Revenge is a child of Malice," Justice says. "She follows in his obsession and hunger for pain, however that doesn't make what she said completely wrong, just her actions."

"I'm sorry, who are you again and why are you here?" Virgil looks at her.

"Justice. Revenge's sister. We are here to ensure none of ours interfere with what needs to happen here."

"I will admit that to you all it seems unfair but-" Logan interrupts Patton

"You don't know Roman like we do. He can be dramatic and exaggerates a lot. It's hard to take him seriously."

"And he says rude things from time to time," Patton adds.

"More like a lot." Virgil mumbles.

"So that gives you automatic rights to be rude to him? To completely ignore him? Maybe the dramatic facade was to hide something that he feared made him look weak. Or maybe someone made him feel weak? So, he tried to be strong but all he received was how he's just a tool so he tries to show off and be dramatic and exaggerate because maybe, just maybe someone will notice him. Maybe someone will see past his mask and see how lonely he is. How he needs someone but there is no one who will listen to him." Nemo says.

"This isn't one of your stories, Nemo," Virgil says.

"You're right! It's not! This is my friend! This is my family whom you are treating like shit and you know what? Just like you-" Nemo looks at Patton. "I'm not going to stand for it. Knocking me out? Really? Just to keep me from protecting him from you yelling at him and giving him a bruises ego? Do you know how painful that thing is!? If you won't listen to him, then listen to me. I was pride for a day. I hit a high and then dropped into a bruised ego and that caused almost more pain than anything Malice ever did. I've been alone and felt shunned and only kept around because I was necessary. I felt no one loved me. I made dramatic acts to get someone's attention, but no one paid attention until one day you saw my weakness. And then after that suddenly I'm accepted and told how sorry you are and how I'm not who I was. What about Roman? You all have known him the longest. Why hasn't he got that? You all were saying how much he's changed when he lost his memories. Why are you still treating him like the person he was two years ago?"

Logan goes into a thinking stance. Patton opens and closes his mouth a few times. Virgil continues to glare at Nemo. He glances at Justice and Guilt, to Roman and everyone around him, then back to Nemo. "You think it's so easy, don't you-"

  
"Don't even start with me. We both went through the same shit. We both betrayed each other and we both felt alone. You got accepted into the group before me and I felt jealous because I wanted that. Roman was jealous of you. He was jealous of all the attention everyone gave you when that's what he needed." Nemo says.

"That doesn't excuse how he treated you, but he grew past that, right? Why can't you?"

"Nemo calm down," Roman begs

"I am calm. Am I yelling? No. Am I threatening? No. Am I cutting people's limbs off? No. I am simply stating the truth. The truth is Roman, you haven't deserved any of this. All these comments, this neglectance, this attitude towards you? Do you know what that is whether intentional or not?" Nemo looks Virgil dead in the eyes. "Emotional abuse." Virgil flinches and slowly looks down.

Terra speaks up. "You guys also blame Roman for things he couldn't control. Like that time the dragon witch captured me, Sham and George?"

"Well if he knew that was going to happen then he shouldn't have taken you to the Imagination," Virgil says.

"But he didn't know and who was the one who begged us to take the kids? Oh yeah. You." Nico says.

"Who was the one who gave Logan a cold?"

"Who was the one trying to be productive and keep to the schedule Logan had worked hard on?" Nico says.

"Who's bright idea was it to drug him and Logan?" Virgil says.

"Mine and it was a horrible idea, but I didn't force you to do anything. All three of you have a nasty habit of trying to push the blame onto someone else while we struggle with guilt and readily take the blame."

"But Roman said before that he doesn’t hold onto guilt. So, one of you is lying." Virgil crosses his arms.

Roman looks down. "I knew this was a bad idea." He mumbles

"Ok so we have made mistakes but so has everyone else. We still love Roman. We risk our lives to save him from Depression." Patton says

"Well then maybe you should show it outside of 'dramatic acts of heroism'." Justice says.

Patton looks down. "Ok." Patton looks at Roman. "I'm sorry that I've treated you poorly. I'm sorry that I blamed you for something that wasn't your fault and I'm sorry that it took me so long to notice."

Roman smiles "Thank you, Padre." Nemo relaxes a bit and looks at Logan and Virgil. Virgil still keeps his arms crossed.

"Roman" Logan starts "You have been very rude to me. We argue a lot, but that was no excuse for me to be rude and disrespectful back. If you promise to try better, then so will I." Roman nods

Virgil glares at Justice and Guilt, then looks at Roman and back at them. He looks at Nico then Nemo. "How do we know this isn't because of them?" He nods to the gray sides. Nemo looks at Logan.

"Even if it is, I don't believe they're lying. They do make a good point. I shouldn't have taken Roman at face value and it seems that Roman is just a really good actor. Patton's right that Roman has made some mistakes but that doesn't mean we haven't either."

Virgil continues glaring. "I still don't believe it." He stands and sinks out. 

Nemo closes his eyes. "Wait." He stops Logan. "Give him time. He'll come to his conclusion, but he needs to do it without influence."

Logan nods he looks at Roman. "You have been quite."

"I honestly didn't want to even do this."

Sham holds onto him tightly. "But it needed to be done. This was unhealthy for you." Nemo says.

Roman shrugs "Well now that this is done, I'm going to go refill the pantry." Roman tries to stand up.

Everyone jumps on him, pinning him to the couch in a cuddle pile. "Yes." Sham huffs.

Patton giggles "You relax Roman. You can do that later. We aren't going to die if you don't do it right now." Patton kisses his head and goes upstairs. 

Logan stands up. "Again, my deepest apologies for not being more insight full to your side of the story. I will do better in the future." Logan gives a small bow and leaves.

Roman chuckles "So am I stuck here or?"

"Yes. Movie." Lue says determinedly and reaches for the remote, but it's a full arm’s length away. 

Nico smirks and picks it up, handing it to him and going to the TV. "What do you want to watch, our Prince?"

"DuckTales." Roman smiles

Nemo immediately goes into the theme song as Lue groans and covers his ears. "I hear that song in my nightmares!" He says jokingly. Nico laughs and takes the remote from Lue, turning it on. Guilt and Justice nod to each other and disappear.

"No, you don't," Terra smirks

Lue sighs. "Maybe you're just immune to it." He smirks.

Terra laughs "Oh I wish." They all gather into a cuddle pile on the couch with Roman in the middle of them all. They enjoy the show peacefully until Nemo falls asleep. Nico smirks and drapes her cloak over him, and he purrs, snuggling into the warmth. Roman chuckles and yawns. Ori falls asleep on Sham.

Sham nuzzles her and picks her up. He looks to Roman. 'Goodnight Roman.' He offers a smile.

Roman smiles back. "Night Sham." Roman leans on Nico.

Sham sinks out. Nico holds Roman and kisses his head. Pete rocks Mahaz and kisses Roman's cheek. "Night Dad." Mahaz yawns and pats Roman's face.

"Night you two." Roman pets Mahaz face. He smirks "Night Cupid."

Pete smirks. "Cupid?"

Roman waves Pete off. "You had to be there."

Pete chuckles. "Okay. Night Mom." 

"Goodnight Pete." Nico smiles. Pete sinks out.

Lue stands and carefully picks up Nemo. He looks at Roman and Nico. "Do you guys need anything?"

"No, but could you change Nemo's bandages please?" Nico asks.

Lue nods. "Of course." He sinks out.

Roman snuggles Nico. Terra smirks "I think I'll go to bed too." Terra winks at Nico and sinks out. Nico smiles softly and pets Roman's hair, closing her eyes.

"I love you..." She whispers.

Roman relaxes "I love you too. Thanks for saving me."

"Of course." She kisses his head. "I would do it again a hundred times if need be."

Roman sighs "Questing is more than just for fun. It's a journey. You're supposed to learn something. When I got captured, I learn that my lesson was to learn that you all do love me. All I could do was wait. So, I waited and waited and waited. I got shown visions of my recuse. Everyone coming and saving me. Only for me to end back at the wall alone. I lost hope that anyone would come, that anyone cared. Then you and Nemo show up. Just two... Only two care enough to come."

Nico holds his hand. "Lue came too. The kids would have come if Patton, Logan, and Virgil hadn't stopped them. Still, they defended you right now when they knew what was happening and Logan and Patton have promised to do better. Time will tell, but it's a start."

Roman nods "I fell for you... Depression because for once someone did something for me. Took me on dates, made me breakfast and just listen to me, encourage me. I couldn't lose that. So, I kept fighting to keep you. Then I thought I lost you forever and gave up." Roman frowns and holds Nico tightly.

Nico rubs his back. "You haven't lost me. I'm still here."

"For how long?"

"Till the day Thomas dies."

Roman looks at Nico with tired but hopeful eyes. "Promise?"

"I promise." Nico cups his face. Roman closes his eyes and slowly leans in. Nico meets him and kisses him gently, closing her eyes. Roman relaxes and kisses her back before leaning her head on her shoulder. Nico continues to pet his head. "Ready for bed?" Roman nods Nico picks him up and sinks out to his room. She lays him on the bed. "Do you want me to stay?"

"You can, I won't make you."

Nico shakes her head and kisses his hand. "I'll stay." She crawls in beside him and holds him. Roman moves close to her and relaxes almost melting into her. Nico continues petting him until he falls asleep, following soon after herself.


	13. Chapter 13

Virgil paces his room. The look in Nemo's eyes, how everyone sat protectively around Roman. He growls. **"I never abused him! I'm not an abuser! Emotional abuse!?"** He scoffs. **"Well, maybe he should get thicker skin! Aww, I'm sorry. Did your feelings get hurt? WELL TOO BAD!"** Virgil kicks a basket out of the way and paces faster. **"Greed is an abuser. Malice is an abuser. I'm not. I didn't do that. Roman did this to himself and now he's blaming it on us! And then Nemo loses his wings because of it!?** " Virgil stops and takes deep breaths, closing his eyes. **"Fine. Whatever. I don't care. They'll be on me to apologize so I will. I don't give a fuck anymore. I'm tired of his whining."**

He keeps walking then stops and looks up. _'What about Nemo? Would I say that about him?'_ He thinks for a moment. _'No... He's emotionally unstable... And I'll never call him whiny.'_ Virgil sits down and sighs. **"What am I saying...?"** His voice slowly comes back to normal. He lays down and stares at the ceiling. He groans and covers his face. "Virgil, what are you thinking?" He feels disappointed in himself. "Nemo was right... Roman should have gotten this a long time ago." He rolls over and closes his eyes. "Tomorrow."  
  
...  
  
Everyone is gathered at the table for breakfast the next morning. Virgil is the last one down. He goes to his chair but doesn't sit. He looks at Roman. "I need to apologize for how I've been treating you. You didn't deserve that... Any of it. Even when I kept throwing insults at you, you were kind to me and..." Virgil shakes his head. "I don't understand how. I promise I'll try to do better but forgive me if I mess up. Please..."

Roman smiles "Ok Jacky."

Virgil blinks then groans but smirks. Nemo looks confused. "Jacky?"

"Jack Smellington." Virgil answers

"It's an inside joke." Roman laughs to himself. Virgil smiles a bit and sits down.

Lue smirks then stares at the table. He looks up to Nemo then Nico and back to Nemo. "You rode me." Nemo chokes and hacks. 

"Get your mind out of the gutter." Nico comments and Nemo coughs harder and stands, going to the kitchen.

Patton looks at Lue. "Care to explain?" Roman thinks then burst out laughing.

"The Imagination turned me into a horse. Apparently, it was a curse as punishment, that's why we were stuck there longer. I had to learn something about myself to redeem me and lift the curse."

Nemo comes back, mostly calmed down. "So how was your first ride?" Nico smirks.

"Anything I say now sounds weird!" Nemo exclaims and huffs. 

Lue laughs. "He has strong thighs, that's all I'm gonna say."

"I WAS SCARED! PEOPLE WERE SHOOTING AT US AND WE'RE GALLOPING AROUND PAST TRAPS AND THEN WE HAD TO JUMP OVER A RAVINE AND NICO'S LIKE 'throw your heart over the jump and your horse will follow' and me and Lue were like 'what the heck!!?'"  
  
Lue continues laughing. "Not gonna lie, I was envisioning you throwing Patton over it and then me chasing him like a puppy." Everyone starts laughs

Nemo calms down again. "But no- seriously. It was... Nice. Once I found that rhythm like you said." He looks at Nico then Lue. "It was... a dance. And I felt... free. Like I was flying again." He smiles sadly.

"I'm really sorry you lost your wings. If you go to the imagination you can bring them back... For a little bit." Roman sighs "I'm real sorry Nemo."

Nemo shakes his head. "It's okay Roman." He smiles at him.

"It really isn't but ok."

"I don't want you to feel guilty for this. Please Roman?" 

Roman sighs "Ok, I know it's not my fault."

Nemo nods. "Maybe we could go flying together later?" he offers.

"Ok! Yeah, I would like that." Roman smiles Nemo beams.

"I'm going to go down with Evan... I realized I haven't been spending as much time with him as I need to and that was wrong of me. It'll help both of us I think." Lue says.

Patton nods "Ok say hi to Evan for me."

"Hey tell Evan if he ever possesses me again, I will beat the shit out of him."

"I think he knows, and I will." Lue looks to Roman then Patton.

Patton looks at Nemo and whispers in his ear. "I could have told you that you had strong thighs." Patton rubs his hand on Nemo's thigh. Nemo blushes. Lue glances at them then smirk and looks away. Patton giggles and goes back to eating.

"Every time..." Nemo says under his breath, still blushing. Patton has the cockiest smirk on his face. Nemo leans over and whispers to him. "Do you want me to wipe that smirk off your face...?"

"Can you?" Patton challenges.

Roman looks over. _'Oh, this will be fun.'_

Nemo takes some jelly and daps it on Patton's nose. "Maybe Daddy should show you..."

"Your burns are almost healed. You can wait a few more days." Virgil says and Nemo huffs. 

"They're fine! They don't even hurt!"

"They could get infected easily," Lue says and stands. "After they're healed, you should be fine." He winks and goes to the kitchen.

Patton giggles and puts jelly on Nemo's nose. "Doctor's orders." Patton licks it off. 

"Eww, Dad!" Terra covers his eyes.

Nemo blushes and turns Patton away from them, licking the jelly off Patton's nose. Nico looks at Lue. "What about you?" She frowns.

Lue smiles. "I'm good. I think I figured it out. I'll see you all later." He sinks out. Roman looks at Nico and smiles. 

Nico smiles proudly at where Lue was and looks to Roman, smiling more. "Yes? Is there something in my hair?" She smirks.

"No, but there is something around your neck." 

"What?" Nico looks down. Around Nico's neck is a new pendant necklace. Made out of metal its Roman's logo with a sunflower in the middle, a gold color jewel in the middle of the sunflower. Nico covers her mouth and gingerly picks it up, looking it over with tears in her eyes. She looks at Roman and kisses him lovingly. 

"YAS! ROMICO SAILS!" Nemo exclaims. Mahaz claps and laughs happily.

Virgil whistles. "Lue missed it." He smirks. George giggles and Sham whoops.

Patton aww's Logan just smirks and Terra claps. Roman hugs her and kisses her back before pulling away. "Your forgetting something." Roman holds up an almost identical necklace but with a red jewel instead of Gold. Nico giggles and takes the necklace. She carefully places it around Roman's neck and clips it together before kissing him again. Sham sneaks a picture. Roman melts into Nico. 

Nico closes her eyes, crying of happiness. She pulls away, panting. "I love you so much."

"I know." Roman chuckles "I love you too and I would be a fool to run away from you." Roman cups her face. "I trust you." 

Nico smiles so much her cheeks hurt. She kisses him again. "I declare a royal ball in honor of the reunion of Romico!" Nemo exclaims. Sham gasps excitedly. 

Pete squeals. "Is everyone invited?"

"EVERYONE!"

"Uh, I don't dance." Logan quickly says

"You don't have to dance!" Nemo beams.

Sham and Pete immediately sink out. They rise up in the commons. "LUE! EVAN! RAVEN! LOKOI!" Sham exclaims, bouncing excitedly.  


Evan runs out of his room holding a bat. "WHAT!?"

"KEEP THE BAT!" Sham exclaims.

Lue, Lokoi, and Raven come running down. "What is it!? What's wrong!?" Lue looks worried.

"Everything's wrong!" Sham says and shows them the picture he took. "ROMICO-"

"SAILS!" Pete squeals. "We're having a ball at the castle tonight! Everyone's invited!" She smiles lovingly at Raven who smiles back.

"Everyone?" Lue smiles and looks at Evan. Lokoi awe's at the picture.

Evan lowers his bat. "I can't dance." 

"Logan can. Or- does." Sham says.

Pete nods. "A ball isn't just dancing!" she squeals again. "OMG! WE SHOULD DO A SLIME PARTY!"

"So you can throw it at me again!?" Sham looks at her.

"You have built-in shields!" Pete pokes his wings.

"I don't know... I don't like to be around too many people." 

"Pleassssseee? It'll be so much fun!" Pete begs. Lue holds his hand and looks at him with a smile.

Evan groans "FIiiinnneeee" 

"YAYYYYY!" They all exclaim. 

Pete hugs Raven and kisses his cheek. "Be sure to wear your best outfit tonight." She winks.

Raven blushes "Ok." 

Pete giggles. "We're gonna go get ready! See you tonight!" She sinks out. Sham salutes and sinks out after her.

Evan sighs "Children." he rolls his eyes and goes back to his room. Raven rushes back to his.

Lue chuckles and follows him. Lokoi looks around. "Where'd everyone go? Wait for me!" They go to Raven's room and poke their head in. "What are we doing?"

"We are getting ready for the ball. Go put something fancy on or something." Lokoi tilts their head. Raven sighs "Ok come in." Lokoi beams and races in, leaping onto his bed. Raven sighs "This is going to take a while." 


	14. Chapter 14

Sham, Nemo, and Virgil took to decorating and music while Pete, Ori, and Roman, and Nico worked on food. Nemo laughs joyfully, flying around on borrowed wings to hang streamers. Sham and Virgil smile at him. That evening, everything is ready. Everyone arrives except for Roman and Nico. Pete walks around in a dark purple dress with diamonds embroidered in it, looking for Raven. She searches the masked faces, double-checking to make sure the purple feathers on hers are staying in place. Nemo was kind enough to give her some that he had. He told her he used to unconsciously pick his wings a lot and would get feathers all over. She looks back at him, his wings making him easy to find. She smiles sadly and goes back to searching. Someone covers her eyes. "Boo." Pete squeaks and giggles. She turns around. Raven wearing a suit that looks to be spray painted and a multi-color mask smirks at her.

Pete beams. “You look good.” She pokes him in the chest lovingly.

"You look amazing." Raven holds her waist and spins her.

Pete giggles and comes back to him. “Shall we dance?” She grins.

"I thought you never ask." Raven takes her hand and holds her close. Pete smiles softly, gazing into his eyes. Lue and Evan stand off to the side, Lue watching his ‘kids’ proudly. Lokoi races through all of them, throwing confetti in his path. George laughs and runs after him. Logan and Virgil sit at a table Logan reading a book. Patton and Nemo dance together Patton resting his head on Nemo's shoulder.

Nemo smiles and keeps him close. His phone vibrates and he pulls it out. He beams. “It’s time.” He says to Patton and goes to the stage. He picks up the microphone, remembering how afraid he used to be of it and chuckling to himself. “May I have everyone’s attention?” Everyone stops dancing and looks up. “Please give a warm welcome to the guests of honor, King Roman and Queen Nico.” Nemo extends his hand to the double doors and they open, Roman and Nico walking side by side, Nico’s hand placed on Roman’s arm, beaming. Roman smiles and stands tall as they walk down the stairs. Everyone claps some NPC yelling their names. They walk to the front and bow to each other, then to everyone else.

Everyone bows back. Roman holds Nico's hand. "Thank you, everyone, for coming here to celebrate the return of Queen Nico and our reunion." Roman smiles at Nico and looks her in the eye. "Let no man, monster, or disease keep us apart." Nico smiles back and kisses him. Everyone cheers. Roman beams "Let the party get started!"

Roman dances with Nico. Nemo dances with Patton, Ori dances with Sham, Pete dances with Raven, Lue and Evan dance together, George and Lokoi play together, Logan and Virgil sit together, and Terra sits alone. Terra sighs Roman wasn't the only one feeling alone. Everyone had a partner but him. Everyone was a couple of some kind and Terra just felt like a third wheel to everyone. No one noticed that he is gone most of the time. Hiding in his room or in the dark side hanging with Evan when he can. Even then he knew he couldn't replace Lue in Evan's heart. 

"Care to dance?" A voice brings Terra out of his thoughts he looks up. The boy lifts his mask revealing Bell. He smirks at Terra. Terra beams and jumps up hugging Bell. 

"What are you doing here?" 

"You needed me, bro." Bell smirks "and I never leave a bro behind." Terra laughs Bell takes his hand and puts his mask down. "Come on let’s dance!" Bell pulls Terra along not that Terra is complaining. They start dancing together. Mahaz sits with Virgil and Logan. He makes gurgling noises and Virgil smirks at him. Bell spins Terra his skirt spins. "You look great by the way." 

Terra smiles "You look great yourself." 

"I'm just happy you're not wearing pants." Bell smirks "We both know who wears the pants in this relationship." 

Terra laughs and playfully smacks his arm. "Stop." 

"You're so cute when you laugh." 

"Yeah? Well, then I guess I'll have to stop laughing then." Terra smirks. 

"Terra no! Please, it's music to my ears." Bell dips him. 

"Well, I guess you need to find a new artist." Terra pokes his nose." Bell brings him back up and they both laugh.

Nemo looks over at them and smiles, though he’s curious. “Who is it?”

Terra blushes "Uhh" 

"Dill" Bell offers his hand. "From the village." 

Nemo shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

"You must be prince Nemo, prince Terra's dad." 

Nemo nods. “That would be me.”

Terra hides behind Bell. Bell holds his hand behind his back. "You raise an amazing son and one with good taste in dresses." 

Terra smacks his arm. "Stap!" 

Nemo chuckles. “That he does.” He smirks at Terra.

"Well, we will be going now bye dad." Terra runs off with Bell. Nemo laughs and looks at Patton.

Patton giggles and takes his hand. Terra laughs and looks at Bell. "Dill really?" 

"What? I panicked." 

"You panicked? No, _I_ was panicking you were smooth as ice." 

Bell smirks and dips Terra. "Well, you better be careful then. Or you will slip on me." 

Terra laughs "O my God that was sooooo bad." Bell laughs and pulls him back up and they continue to dance. 

Patton smiles at them. "Terra looks so happy." 

“Yeah.” Nemo spins Patton.

Patton giggles "How are you, my prince~" 

Nemo smirks at him and circles his wings around him. “I’m well...” he leans in and kisses him, wings keeping them hidden from the others. Patton kisses Nemo back. Nemo goes deeper and closes his eyes, purring happily. Patton wraps his arms around him and moans. Nemo teases his tongue. Patton giggles Nemo pulls out panting, gazing at him lovingly. He feels a hand on his wing and looks behind him. Lue is there, smirking with a raised brow. “What? Is kissing my boyfriend a crime?” Nemo smirks back. 

“No, and neither is dancing unless you do it without him.”

“WAS THAT AN EMO REFERENCE!?” Virgil screeches from the other side of the hall. 

“HOW DID YOU HEAR THAT!?” Lue looks over in disbelief. Nemo just laughs. Patton giggles Logan hides in his book. 

Virgil looks to Logan. “Come on Star. You don’t have to dance, but at least put the book down?”

"And do what?"

“Talk? Hang out? Eat?” Virgil takes his hand and gives him a look that Logan finds absolutely adorable. “Pleassse?” Mahaz claps.

Logan sighs "You know I can't say no to that face." He puts the book down. Virgil giggles and stands. He bounces Mahaz in one arm, the other holding Logan’s hand. Logan stands up. "Are we going somewhere?"

“I’m hungry. What about you?”

"I could go for some food." 

Virgil leads them to the table. Nico comes over and grabs a piece of cake. “Just so you know, that’s sparkling water, not alcohol. There are no alcoholic beverages here except for the wine over there.” She points to the other wall and offers a smile. 

Virgil nods. “Thanks.”

“Also, There’s an observatory upstairs with a full-size telescope.” Logan perks up.

Virgil smirks. “Can you give us directions, so we don’t get lost?”

Nico giggles. “First floor up from here, left down the hall and third door on the right. There are more stairs you’ll have to climb to get up to it, but you’ll know it when you see it. Also, usually we don’t allow food in there, but we’ll make an exception for you guys.” She winks. 

Virgil laughs. “Okay. What about Mahaz?”

“I can take him. You guys go relax.” Nico picks him up and bounces him. Mahaz sighs and holds onto her, reaching around for her hair, but can’t find it since it’s in a bun. 

“Thanks. You look good by the way.” Virgil says, pointing to her dress that fades from burgundy to red, orange, then yellow at the bottom. 

“Thanks. You look good too.” Nico smiles and Virgil flattens down his purple shirt and black vest with white stitching on it.

“I think I’m actually starting to like it.” He chuckles. 

Nico waves. “Have fun!” She goes back to Roman. Logan grabs Virgil and rushes towards the observatory. Ori dances with Sham humming to the song. Sham smiles at her and spins her. Ori giggles and follows Sham's lead. Sham brings her back and kisses her head. Ori smiles and kisses his cheek giggling. Sham chuckles and they continue dancing. 

Lue spins around Evan, smiling. “And you said you couldn’t dance.”

Evan chuckles "I'm not as good as everyone else." 

“How dare you.” Lue looks offended. “You move so elegantly I would have thought you’ve been dancing your whole life.”

Evan chuckles "Yeah? I'm jealousy, I think everyone is better than me." 

Lue smirks and kisses his cheek. “You are equal.”

Evan rolls his eyes but smirks "Whatever you say."

Raven and Pete dance. "Thanks for inviting me."

“Of course!” Pete beams, never losing her smile.

Raven smiles he feels someone bump into him. "Oof." 

"Sorry, bro."

"It's ok bro." Raven turns to look at Bell and Terra. 

"Sorry Raven looks like he doesn't know is lefts from rights." Terra playfully shoves him. Bell laughs 

"Speak for yourself. I dance amazingly."

Pete giggles. “And who’s this?”

"Dill," Bell smirks and offers his hand. Raven frowns he looks at his hand.

"Dill? More like dumbbell!" He growls and slaps his hand away.

Terra grabs Bell's arm. "Let's go."

Pete frowns. “What?”

Bell frowns "Be chill bro." 

Raven looks at Terra. "I thought you said you were passed this!?" 

Terra cowers. Bell stands protectively in front of Terra. "Hey back off he did nothing wrong."

Pete holds Raven’s hand tightly. “Rave. Let’s go.”

Raven glares at Bell. He looks at Terra. "He's dead, get over it." Raven storms off.

Pete looks at Terra. “Don’t listen to him.” She runs after Raven. “Rave. Wait.”

Tears fill Terra's eyes. Bell frowns "Terra-" Terra pushes him away and sinks out. Bell frowns and disappears in the crowd. Pete catches up to Raven.

“Rave...” she takes his hand.

Raven turns around. "That was Bell!"

“I know. Look, Bell might be physically dead, but he’s still alive in Terra’s mind. Virgil said something about needing the same thing once. He was scared and felt alone and needed Dee, Nemo back when he was Deceit. Nemo and Logan were both around and willing, but they weren’t who Virgil needed. Dee may be dead to everyone but not to Virgil. Same thing with Bell.”

Raven pulls his hand out. "That's still me! That's still the old better me that everyone would have liked. It's not fair to me! It's not fair to be reminded of who I used to be."

“You think Nemo liked that he had to pretend to be Dee for Virgil?” Pete sighs. “You are who you are now. Nothing is going to change that. That version of you is not a better you, simply a different you. You get to choose who you want to be.” Raven still pouts. Pete kisses his cheek. “Come on honey.”

Raven sighs "Ok. Let's enjoy our night." Pete smiles and they enter another dance. Nico spins with Mahaz in one arm. She smiles at Roman. Roman kisses their cheeks.

Nico hums. The song ends and they hear piano keys fill the hall. They look and see Nemo at the grand piano. Nico smirks. “I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist.” Roman chuckles Patton sits on top of the piano. 

"One, two  
One, two, three, four  
Give me more lovin' than I've ever had.  
Make it all better when I'm feelin' sad.  
Tell me that I'm special even when I know I'm not.  
Make me feel good when I hurt so bad.  
Barely gettin' mad,  
I'm so glad I found you.  
I love being around you.  
  
You make it easy,  
It's easy as one, two, one, two, three, four.  
There's only one thing, two do, three words four you.  
I love you.  
There's only one way, two say, those three words  
And that's what I'll do.  
I love you."

Patton sings as he looks at Nemo. Nemo smiles lovingly, gazing at him as he plays.

“Give me more lovin' from the very start.  
Piece me back together when I fall apart.  
Tell me things you never even tell your closest friends.  
Make me feel good when I hurt so bad.  
Best that I've had.  
I'm so glad that I found you.  
I love being around you.  
  
You make it easy,  
It's easy as one, two, one, two, three, four.  
There's only one thing, two do, three words four you.  
I love you.  
There's only one way, two say, those three words  
And that's what I'll do.  
I love you.”

“I love you.” Nemo repeats with a smile. Roman holds Nico close.   
  
"You make it easy,  
It's easy as one, two, one, two, three, four.  
There's only one thing, two do, three words four you.  
I love you.  
There's only one way, two say, those three words  
And that's what I'll do.  
I love you.  
  
One, two, three, four  
One, two, three, four I love you.  
I love you  
I love you.”

Roman sings as Patton does. Roman looking at Nico. Nico smiles with tears in her eyes. Roman kisses her cheek. "Careful don't want to ruin your beautiful makeup."

Nico laughs. “Too late.” She kisses him. Roman holds her close and wraps his arms around her. Mahaz claps. Nico giggles in the kiss and pulls out. “Seems Cupid was right.” Roman laughs Nemo starts a new song. 

“I am here, you are there, lying side by side.  
Out of touch, out of reach in the great diviiiide.  
Parallel lines...! ooh!” Nemo sings.  
  
“Hear the rain, count the drops on the win-dow pane.  
Wide awake, stale mate, why do we play this gaaaame?  
Oh God, I hate this game! Oh...” Patton sings.  
  
“Throw open the dooooooors...  
You know my heart is yourrrrrs!  
What are we waiting fooooor?  
Yeah...” They sing together.  
“Let's be pi-on-eers!  
And we'll build our hooooome!  
In the great unknooooowwwwn...  
Yeah...  
Let's be pi-on-eers!”

Roman spins Nico. Nico laughs and comes back, gazing at him with eyes of admiration. 

“There's a song that we sang on our honeymoon...  
I remember all the words- but forgot the tuuuune.  
Why are we out of tuuuune...?” Patton sings.   
  
“Ooo... Let's forgive and... let's forgive again.  
I'm reaching out to... my sweetest frie-end.  
Can we start agaaaain?” Nemo answers.   
  
“Throw open the dooooors...  
You know my heart is yourrrs!  
What are we waiting foooorrr?  
Yeah- yeah...  
Let's be PI-ON-EERS!” They sing together.

"You like the necklace?"

“I love it.” Nico kisses his cheek.

"Yeah I thought about it last night and I decided that I want to spend the rest of Thomas's life with you."

Nico starts crying of happiness again. “I do too.” Roman kisses her. Nico kisses back. Roman kisses her neck. Nico gasps softly.

Roman chuckles "Does my Queen want some more privacy?" Roman purrs.

Nico shivers. Lue comes over and takes Mahaz. “Go.” He smirks.

Roman smiles. "Thanks, Lue." Roman picks Nico up bridal style. "Ready my Queen?"

Nico holds onto him. “Yes.” She blushes. Roman leaves with Nico. Patton watches them and giggles.

Nemo smirks. “Hey, Nico’s gone. You know what that means?”

Patton looks at Nemo. "What?" He smirks

“I won’t get yelled at.” He grins and pulses the keys. 

“YOUUUUU KNOW! I’VE ALWAYS BEEN COLLECTED CALM AND CHILL!   
AND YOUUUU KNOW OH! I NEVER LOOK FOR CONFLICT FOR THE THRILL!   
BUT IF IM FEEEEEELIN! SOMEONE STEPPIN TOWARDS YOU- CAN’T DESCRIBE JUST WHAT IM FEEEELIN!”

Patton laughs Nemo beams and continues. He finishes with a flourish and stands. He starts the playlist again and takes the microphone. “The stage is open if anyone would like to play!”

Patton giggles and gets off the piano. He wraps around Nemo's waist. "You have magic fingers for music my little songbird."

Nemo blushes and kisses his head. “Thank you, Honeybee.”

Patton smiles and slides his hand down Nemo's thighs. "Does Daddy want to crush me with his _strong thighs?_ " Nemo shivers and stuffs his face in Patton’s hair, moaning. He brings them off the stage and into a corner. He pushes Patton into it and feverishly kisses him. Patton holds onto him and kisses him back.

Nemo wraps his wings around him and lifts him up, guiding Patton’s legs around his waist. He pulls away panting. “Your thighs aren’t too bad either.” He smirks and massages them.

Patton moans and holds him. "Well, I have super strength." Nemo kisses his neck, wings keeping them saw and hidden.

Patton shivers and moans. "I bet we can find a room."

“Hmm...” Nemo nibbles on his shoulder teasingly. “Okay love...”

Patton gives a small buck. "Looks like Lue isn't going to stop us."

“Apparently not...” Nemo purrs and licks up and down Patton’s neck. “How hard can I get you before we make it to the room...?”

"I don't know but I'm pretty hard now."

“Really? Maybe I should check...” he squeezes Patton’s crotch. Patton gasps and blushes. “Ooo... do you like that Baby boy...?” Nemo massages him.

"Oh Daddy~" Patton melts and tenses at the same time. Nemo gives him another squeeze and captures him in a kiss. Patton moans and bucks him.

Nemo chuckles. “Impatient, are we?”

"R-room now," Patton begs. Nemo gives his neck a bite before carrying him out.


	15. Chapter 15

Lue shivers and rocks Mahaz as he eats. Evan looks at him. "Need help?"

Lue shakes his head. “No, just second-hand feelings from two couples.” Mahaz pats Lue’s arm and he smiles.

Evan nods "But do you _need help_?"

Mahaz leans up and makes grabby hands for Lue’s face. Lue lowers his head and Mahaz explores his face. “No. I’m okay. I don’t need to do it every time someone else does. I can choose when I do it and it doesn’t affect my job. My job doesn’t depend on what my body does, it depends on my attitude about it.”

Evan smiles "See I told you could figure it out."

Mahaz accidentally sticks his finger in Lue’s nose and Lue makes a surprised face, pulling his head away. Mahaz whines and Lue sighs. “Okay...” he lowers his head again. 

Mahaz gurgles happily and plays with his bangs. “Lue Lue.” He decides. Lue smiles and almost bursts into tears. He holds Mahaz’s tiny hand.

"You sure love kids." Evan chuckles

Lue beams and bounces Mahaz. He giggles and claps happily. “Lue Lue! Lue Lue!”

Evan chuckles he kisses Lue's head. "I'm heading for bed see you tomorrow."

“Okay love. Thank you for coming.” He smiles at him.

"Thanks for inviting me." Evan sinks out.

Lue holds Mahaz and watches the others dance. He feels himself sinking out and watches his surroundings change into a desert. Lue’s eyes widen and he spins around, holding Mahaz protectively. “Where are we!?” All he sees is endless amounts of sand and the stars flickering brightly above. A full moon lights the dunes, giving a calming glow to the microscopic crystals. He starts hesitantly walking. Over the dune, he finds a forest. He tilts his head and enters it. The cool atmosphere welcomes him, a tune being hum by the various creatures. “Oh... this is Ori’s domain.” He looks back at the desert. “So, who’s is that?” Mahaz clings to his neck, though he doesn’t appear to be afraid once. Lue shrugs and sinks back into the Imagination, enjoying the rest of the evening and making a mental note to bring it up with Nemo later.

…

Terra wakes up the next morning still in his gown. He quickly remembers crying himself to sleep after Raven yelled at him. Terra sighs and gets up. He drops his gown and goes to the bathroom to wash his makeup off then jump in the shower. He comes out clean and newly shaved and goes to his closet. He doesn't know what to wear. The skirt reminds him of dresses which remind him of last night, but he also really hates pants.

He doesn't like them, he goes for shorts. They're a nice compromise for his problem. He looks at his shirts. The sugar skull reminds her of Bell. He picks it out for him saying once you’re dead and bones no one cares about your gender. He said skeletons can wear whatever they want and because we are skeletons with meat then we should be able to wear whatever we want to. Terra smiles sadly at the memory. He sighs and goes for a black shirt with no design on it. He wears mostly dark colors today, but he wears his pink beany. "I'm not Terra without my pink beany." He chuckles to himself as he looks in the mirror. The others shouldn't notice the slight difference, heck they don't notice when he's not there. He's actually slipped away from dinner a few times and no one says anything. They all have their special someone. "All but me." Terra frowns. 

"Breakfast ready," Patton calls out. Terra takes a deep breath and leaves his room. He's the last one to arrive at the table. 

"A desert?" Logan repeats Lue.

“Yeah. And I didn’t take us there. He did.” Lue nods to Mahaz.

Patton thinks "Must be his domain. A desert...a desert of what?"

“I don’t know... I can’t think of anything that would involve a desert other than despair.” Nemo mumbles. 

Pete looks at him. “He is not despair.”

“I wasn’t saying he was.”

"Hope." Roman says "Every time I felt hopeless, he would come and hold me."

Nico thinks then nods. Pete looks down at Mahaz and smiles. "Ohh..." Nemo's eyes widen with realization and he looks at Mahaz. "He's blind... Not only because of his prematurity but... Some people say hope is blinding..."

"And yet it's that same hope that gives you the strength to persevere," Pete says.

Roman chuckles "Well he's good at his job that’s for sure."

Mahaz looks around. He searches Pete's face and finds her hair. He frowns and makes grabby hands for Nico who's beside them. She picks him up and bounces them. He feels her face and finds her hair and necklace. He frowns again and reaches for Roman. Roman takes him. "What's up little guy?"

Mahaz searches him and finds his sash. He pats his face. "Papa Ro!" he reaches for Lue. 

Lue takes him and smirks. "Making the rounds, are we?" 

"Lue Lue!" Nemo aww's.

"So, the grandpa's got names before mom or dad. Sure, that's fine." Pete smirks.

Roman chuckles "Jealous?"

"No."

Lue laughs and bounces Mahaz. He tries to offer him to Patton, but Mahaz clings to him. Lue sighs dramatically. "Okay. I guesssss." he smiles and sets him on his lap. Mahaz wiggles happily and Lue cuts a small piece of eggs and gives it to him.

"Mahaz Hope Sanders, huh?"

"Looks like it," Logan says 

Mahaz claps happily. Pete smiles and looks at Lue. "Hey... I was wondering- and you don't have to if you don't want to, but... Would you be willing to watch him every once in a while?"

Lue beams. "I'd love to!"

Patton giggles "You’re so good with the kids. Right George?" George nods 

"Lue Lue!" Sham smirks and nods in agreement. Lue blushes.

Nemo chuckles. "If you need help you can always ask."

"Thanks." Lue smiles.

"I'm sure Lue will be fine." Patton smiles

Nemo looks at Logan. "Hey, I was wondering if you could check my back later? It hurts a bit like something's being pinched."

Logan nods "Of course." 

Mahaz looks in Terra's direction and frowns. He disappears from Lue's lap. "Uhh-" he rises up on Terra's and holds onto him. Terra blinks and slowly pets his head.

Mahaz hums. "Terra? Are you okay?" Nemo asks.

"I'm fine." 

Sham looks over. Pete frowns. "Is it about Raven?"

"No." 

"Raven?" Roman looks over. 

Pete sighs. "There was a boy among the townsfolk. Bell. Raven ran into him and told Terra off."

"You mean Dill?" Patton asks

"I need more context than that." Logan points out.

"Nothing just leave it alone."

Nemo frowns. "I tried to explain to him what happened when Virgil needed Dee, but he was still hurt. He's insecure about who he was before compared to now and lashed out." Pete says and looks down.

"Wait so Dill was the first Rebellion?" Roman asks 

"No, Bell."

"He told us he was Dill," Nemo says.

"Well, he's Bell."

"Ok, so why was he at the party?" 

**"BECAUSE I WAS LONELY OK!"** Terra yells Mahaz whines and holds onto Terra tightly. Everyone frowns. **"Have any of you notice that I'm the only one without a pair? No? Maybe cause you couldn't even care enough to know when I was even at the table!"**

Nemo opens his mouth, but Virgil beats him. "What do you mean? Of course, we notice when you're here."

**"Oh, really how about the 7 dinners where I leave early? Or how about how I'm always in the dark side? You might notice when I'm here but you sure don't notice when I'm not!"**

"Terra there are 11 of us. We can't keep track of where everyone is all the time." Patton says

Virgil crosses his arms. Nemo frowns deeply. "Guys he's right-"

"He's being a teen Nemo." Virgil goes back to eating.

"Teens need people more than anyone else! They need emotional support; they need someone to just support them and who they are and what they do." Nemo says, silencing everyone and looking to Terra. "I'm sorry we haven't noticed and I'm sorry you feel alone and the odd man out. We won't let it happen again." Sham looks down.

**"Yes, you will."** Terra pulls Mahaz off and sinks out.

Mahaz whines more. Pete picks him up and rocks him, frowning. Nemo stands. "Nemo, leave him alone-"

"No!" Nemo looks at Virgil. "I'm not making that mistake again!"

Sham stands. "Dad." Nemo looks at him. "You broke my promise." Nemo frowns but relents. Sham goes upstairs to Terra's room and knocks.

Terra sits on his bed knees up. He wipes at his ink tears. He's been crying ink a lot, it makes a mess. He's a mess. **"I'm not even a teen yet. I'm only 12,"** he mumbles to himself. Sham knocks on his door again. Terra sighs **"Go away no point in changing now."**

"Terra-"

**_"GO AWAY"_** Terra screams scaring Sham a little. **"Don't lie to me Sham."**

Sham opens his mouth before closing it and going back downstairs. He silently sits down. Virgil sighs. "Look, you can't do anything. He's locked you out just leave him alone. It's what he wants." Nemo frowns and opens his mouth. _"Nemo."_ Virgil looks at him. Nemo slowly closes his mouth and looks down. Mahaz whines louder.

"Is that what you would have done if it was Nemo?" Roman asks

"Yes," Virgil replies without hesitation, and Nemo quietly and almost ashamed. He doesn't look up.

Roman stands up. "Well, luckily I'm not you." He heads towards the stairs.

"Roman you don't know what you're doing," Virgil says. Nemo glances at him, still looking ashamed. These are the times he misses his wings, how he could just hide in them.

"What I'm doing is showing him that we still care! He wants us to fight for him. Giving up only proves that he's right and I refuse to let him believe that he is alone." Roman continues to move up the stairs.

Sham clenches his fist and follows him. Nemo continues looking down. "He's right..." he mumbles, only for Virgil to glare at him. "Sometimes we say we want to be alone when we really don't..."

Virgil sighs. "Why can't you just be simple?" he mutters. Nemo's voice dies in his throat. He picks up the dishes and silently goes to the kitchen.

Roman and Sham go to Terra's room. Sham goes to knock again when Roman just opens his door and walks in. Terra looks up from his bed. **"What are you-"** he cuts himself off when Roman hugs him. He looks surprised. Sham runs in after and hugs him too.

"We are so sorry we leave you behind like that. It's not right and we will fix it." Roman gives him a squeeze. Terra hugs them back and cries. Sham rubs Terra's back.

**"T-the others?"  
**

"Virgil is keeping them back, he was quite rude to Nemo actually, but we will worry about that later. For now, you have our full attention so breath and tell us what you want." Terra hiccups but tries to take deep breaths. Sham continues to rub his back. He starts counting the breathing exercise. Terra follows it and slowly calms down and relaxes into Roman and Sham. Roman nods to Sham.

Sham holds Terra close and protectively. _'I love you bro. I'm sorry I forgot you...'_ He mind speaks.

Terra sighs "I did make it easy."

_'That doesn't make it okay. I'll do better. I promise.'_

Terra pulls away. "No, you won't, you don't get it. You all have a partner. Someone that will put you on top. If Nemo goes missing Dad will he hunt him down. If Logan is acting strangely Virgil would investigate. Everyone has a pair that protects them. Everyone but me." Terra looks down. 

Roman frowns "I thought you were ace and aro?"

"I am! It doesn't have to be a romantic relationship, but I want someone who cares about me above Everyone else." Sham frowns.

"What about George?"

"He's five, I want someone my own age. Someone I can bond with." 

Roman holds his hand. "Bell?"

"He was my best friend. He understood me like no one else. Then Malice took him away from me forever." Sham holds Terra's other hand. "Sorry I yelled at everyone." 

"No, you were upset, but I do agree with Virgil on one thing. Stop running away. If you have a problem be direct about it. This? Running away to your room is going to get old quick. Just say what you mean. It is a lot simpler and better for everyone if you just say what you mean instead of dancing around it." Terra frowns and nods

"Virgil's mean." Sham nods, frowning.

"Alright, how about we go downstairs and remind everyone that you exist?" Roman smirks Terra laughs and nods. Roman stands up and continues to hold Terra's hand. Sham follows them down. Nemo is gone, the others finishing cleaning up. Pete looks over and runs up, hugging Terra.

Terra hugs her back. Roman looks around. "Where's Nemo?"

"Left." Virgil answers, not looking happy. 

Nico sighs. "He and Virgil got in a fight..."

"No, he started yelling," Virgil says.

"And you engaged him." Nico points out. Virgil rolls his eyes.

"What is with you today?" Roman says

"What do you mean?" Virgil puts his hands on his hips.

"You have this 'I don't care' attitude." Roman gestures at him. "And since when do you put your hands on your hips?"

Virgil's lips twitch into a smirk for a moment and he huffs. "Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do." 

Nico stands, tense and watching Virgil closely. Pete holds Mahaz close. Roman sighs "You know what, your right I don't, but I would have thought you could at least empathize with Terra."

"I'm just tired of dealing with everyone's shit." Nico raises her hand and shadows wrap around Virgil's throat. Virgil snarls and thrashes about. "Let me go, bitch!"

"Ok, that's not Virgil." Roman takes out his sword. Logan moves away from Virgil.

"Ok everyone calm down." Logan tries.

Patton holds George. "Daddy!" George cries.

Nico searches for a moment before her eyes soften and she drops him. He lands on his hands and knees, coughing. "It... It is..." she says quietly.

Logan helps him up. "Virgil has a point. This all needs to stop."

"Thank you." Virgil huffs.

"Define 'this all'?" Nico asks.

"Drama! You know what all of your problem is? No one communicates. You do things like run away and dance around the problem instead of just saying what it is. You know how I and Virgil have a great relationship? We talk to each other. We're direct. I dance around the problem one time and saw it didn't work. All of you are insane! You do the same thing over and over again."

"Lo I think you're being harsh." 

"No Patton, I'm being direct."

"Well not all of us can be as brave as you about our problems now can we!?" Nico says and stands protectively near Roman and Terra.

"Guys-" Lue tries.

Logan sighs "It's not about being brave. It's about actually getting results. Roman gets it. He broke up with you because he got tired of the same song and dance."

Nico bites her lip. "Truth hurts, doesn't it?" Virgil looks at her. Nico goes to speak then shuts it.

Roman puffs "Look I get it, yeah this all sucks but-"

"But nothing Roman." Logan interrupts "Face it we only keep helping because of two reasons. One, we all live in the same house, so we need to get along because there is nowhere else to go. And two, us in meltdown hurts Thomas and no one wants that."

"Yeah- Terra you can't be mad at us for not caring about a problem we never even knew existed." Virgil looks between Roman and Terra. "Like father like son I guess." Sham clenches his fist.

Terra looks down. Roman glares "I already told him to be direct with us."

"So you agree then."

"I... Well-"

A glowing rope lands around Virgil and yanks him down. "Enough." Nemo stands a few feet away. 

Virgil hisses at him. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TRUTH! AND YET YOU'RE SUSTAINING LIES JUST BECAUSE IT MAKES YOU MORE COMFORTABLE!?"

Nemo simply frowns. "Reverting isn't a good look on you, Virgil."

"Nemo enough. You’re the biggest problem. You help the most yes, but you also run the most and I'm tired of telling you to stop." 

George cries eyeshadow growing. Patton rocks him. "Guys stop please."

Nemo freezes. He looks at Logan and then Virgil slowly. He feels like his foundation got ripped away. He breathes shallowly. "You know why I run? Why I run and hide? Because I know I am the biggest _problem_. I know not everyone can handle or help me in what I'm dealing with. I thought you could, so I trusted you. That's why you were the only one I talked to. But I guess not." he yanks the Lariat off Virgil and goes to Patton and George. "Let's go." they sink out to his domain.

Logan sighs "Let's go Virgil." Logan sinks out with him. Roman just looks dumbfounded. Nico holds Terra close. Sham doesn't know what to do. Lue looks around at all of them. Pete rocks Mahaz who cries.

Roman rubs his face. "I'm going to go create something. Terra, you want to join?" Terra slowly nods.

"Is it wrong that I agree with them?" Terra asks.

Roman shakes his head. "No, but Logan could have been gentler with it."

"Yeah..." Lue mumbles and stands. Pete still tries to calm Mahaz down. Lue opens his arms in offering. Pete glances at him and hesitantly gives Mahaz to him. Lue rocks him and hums, walking around the commons. Mahaz quiets down to sniffles and Lue keeps walking, eyes never leaving his rainbow ones.

Roman looks at Nico. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just- concerned..." Nico looks down.

Roman holds her hand. "I wouldn't have gotten back together with you if I didn't believe that things would be different." Roman sighs "I think Logan and Virgil were saying the right things but in the wrong away. I told Terra the same thing but when I said it, I made sure not to sound like I was attacking him. Logan and Virgil felt like they were attacking us. Hard direct works for Logan and Virgil, because Logan works with facts, and Virgil works with certainty, but some people need to be told the information in different ways. Like I work better with metaphors."

Nico nods. "Yeah... Nemo told me my journal drove Logan crazy because he couldn't understand the metaphors I was using. Song works for Nemo..." she pauses. "Do you think Patton is okay with Nemo?"

"Don't crowd him. He already has Patton and George with him, and Sham and Ori just left too." Lue nods to the table.

"Patton knows how to deal with Nemo. As for Logan and Virgil, they need to calm down. So, let's all just take a break. I'm going to hang with Terra you can join if you want?" Terra holds Nico's hand.

Nico smiles at him. "Yeah. I'd love to."

Roman and Terra smile. They sink out to Roman's room. "I notice you’re not wearing a sugar skull."

"You do?" Terra looks down at his shirt.

Roman laughs "Yeah, what's the story behind it?"

"Bell pick it out. I also just like Day of the dead."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's a day of remembering the ones you love. Way better than Halloween." 

Roman smirks "You must love Coco then." 

"Haven't seen it." 

"WHAT!"

“I haven’t either,” Nico says sheepishly.

"Ok that's it we are watching it now." Roman snaps his fingers and summons everything. Terra laughs  
  
...

Virgil and Logan rise up in Logan’s room. Logan goes to his desk. "Did you really had to call Nico a bitch?"

Virgil sighs and flops on the bed. “I was just done okay?”

"I understand but still uncalled for."

“Whatever.” Virgil pulls out his phone. Logan starts working.

...  
  
Nemo holds onto Patton, shaking and fighting back crying as he pets George’s hair. He doesn’t know what to believe anymore. Logan told him that he would never just say something to make him feel better, but if this morning is how he truly felt about ‘helping’ him, then what is real and what isn’t? But he can’t deal with that right now. George is here. He needs to focus on him. “Let’s build a sandcastle,” Nemo suggests.

"Ok." Patton puts on a smile. He gets up and goes to the shack. He comes back with different buckets and shovels. "Ready Prince George?"

George sniffles and nods. Nemo picks him up and tosses him gently in the air. “We shall build the best sandcastle there ever was for our little prince!” George smiles and laughs a bit. Patton smiles and gets some water. Nemo starts digging. George giggles and digs with him. Patton brings the bucket over. He gets some of the sand. “Ready George?” 

George nods and claps. He flips the bucket and pulls it up. Nemo high fives him. They continue building until there’s a fort just big enough for George to sit in. He giggles happily while Nemo and Patton smile, all of them covered in sand. "That was a good idea," Patton whispers Nemo smiles softly and kisses his cheek. Patton smiles "How do you feel?"

Nemo sighs. "Honestly?"

"We are in your domain."

Nemo shakes his head. "Hurt."

Patton hugs him. "Logan and Virgil are just frustrated." Nemo leans on him. "How about we put George down for his nap then we go cuddle or you can play the piano for me?"

"No, it's okay... I don't really feel like doing anything."

"Then cuddles?" Patton nuzzles him.

“Sure.” Nemo smiles a bit and closes his eyes. He opens them. “Actually... Would you like to go for a ride?”

"Sure, like on a horse?"

“Yes, like on a horse,” Nemo smirks.

Patton giggles "I would love too."

Nemo chuckles. “Okay. I’ll get George to bed and meet you in the Imagination.” He picks up George and sinks out. Patton sinks out. Patton raises in the imagination and summons a white unicorn. He giggles and gets on. Nemo rises up and sees Patton on the unicorn. He laughs. “You are adorable.”

"What? It's a horse."

“I think Nico would disagree but okay.” Nemo giggles and goes into the stable. He looks around and settles on a blue roan colt.

“You might need this.” 

Nemo jumps and spins around. Nico is standing there with a hackamore in her hands. “Oh. Nico. Don’t do that.”

“Sorry,” Nico smirks and bridles the colt, leading him out and helping Nemo on. “Keep your heels down, eyes up, and take it easy on the reins.”

Nemo nods. “Okay. Thanks.”

"Hi, Nico!" Patton waves

“Hey, Patton.” Nico smiles. 

“Hey, what do you think of Patton’s horse?” Nemo asks. 

“That’s a unicorn.” Nico states. “Still an equine, but not a horse. Same thing as a zebra. Or Przewalski’s horse.”

"I'm calling her a horse." Patton smirks "You want to join us on our ride. I actually don't know how to ride."

“Yes, that would probably be the wisest.” Nico giggles and runs to the barn. She emerges a moment later with Snow following her without a lead rope or saddle. Nemo stares at her like she’s magical.

Patton claps "Yaaa."

Nico hops on and laughs at Nemo’s dumbfounded face when Snow starts moving with Nico doing “nothing”. “How are you doing that?” Nemo asks dumbfounded. 

“It’s called time, practice, and pain,” Nico says and leads them out the gate. Patton smiles at Nemo.

Nemo smiles back. “Where do you wanna go?” Nico turns around and rides backward.

"Wow, Nico your so cool."

Nico giggles. “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing!?” Nemo exclaims. 

Nico shrugs. “It really isn’t when you learn to communicate with your horse well. Helps when you’re comfortable with each other.” She pats Snow. 

“You should do a horse show,” Nemo says.

"Yeah! Like at a rodeo. That could be so much fun!"

Nico continues laughing happily. “Yeah. Then who would be the cows?”

“Oh my gosh, you actually wanna round us up?” Nemo laughs. 

“MOVE OUT OF THE WAY YA HEIFER!” Nico jokes. 

“What’s a heifer?” Nemo asks between laughs. 

“A cow.”

“Hey! I have a Lariat! Remember when you yelled at me for calling it a lasso?” Nemo says. 

“Oh yeahhh...”

"Careful Nico your you might be the cow."

Nico grins. “Ooo. I’d like to see you try Cowboys.” She winks at Patton and Nemo before turning around and taking off on Snow.

"Hey wait!" Patton takes off. Nemo runs after them. Patton has never been on a horse before. He quickly loses his balance and falls off. He lands on soft grass with a pat. 

“PATTON!” Nemo comes to a stop next to him. 

Nico comes racing back and leaps off. “Don’t move.”

"Why?" Patton sits up.

Nico keeps her hand on his shoulder, keeping him down. “Spinal injury. Can you wiggle your toes?”

"You forget that I can't get hurt." Patton stands up. "See? I'm fine."

Nico sighs. “Okay. Sorry. I shouldn’t have taken off like that.” She looks at Nemo and summons a helmet, handing it to him. Nemo puts it on.

"Yeah, I lost my balance." Patton laughs.

“Yeah.” Nico hops back on. “We can just walk for a bit. There’s a trail that goes by the lake.”

Patton hops back on. "Ok sounds good." Nico leads them on a trail through a forest. It opens up to a meadow with a lake. They ride alongside the shore peacefully. Patton sighs relaxing. Nemo smiles at the scenery. It’s nice just walking, but... he really wants to _fly_. Patton looks back at Nemo. "Having fun?" Nemo nods.

There’s a rustle in the bushes. Nemo’s horse rears and bucks. “WHOA!”

“PULL HIM IN A CIRCLE!” Nico says. Nemo’s too panicked to know what to do. He gets thrown off, into the lake.

"Nemo!' Patton jumps off his horse and goes over to him.

Nemo coughs and swims around, blind. He goes under and inhales. His body morphs and he swishes his tail and comes up. “I’m okay!”

Patton sighs in relief. "Ok!"

Nemo swims towards them. “You wanna just swim?” He chuckles.

Patton giggles "Sure." he jumps in his body morphs, his legs turning into fins. "And because we are in the imagination, I can be a merman too!"

Nemo laughs joyfully and hugs him. Nico finishes tying the horses. She snaps her fingers and changes into a two-piece before jumping in. “I’ll keep my legs, Thanks.” She giggles. Patton giggles and dives under the water. Nemo follows him under.

Patton smiles around in a circle just trying to get the hang of the tail. Nemo circles him, beaming. Patton takes his hand and has them spin in a circle. Nemo leads him into an underwater dance. Patton beams and follows his lead. Music plays clearing under the water. Nemo brings him in and kisses his cheek. Patton giggles and kisses him back. Nemo holds him close and pets his tail with a smirk. Patton shivers. Nemo kisses him again. Patton hums and pets his tail. Nemo shivers and kisses him deeper before pulling out and nuzzling him. Patton nuzzles him and pulls back to the top. "Having a tail is so much fun!" he giggles

Nemo chuckles. “Yeah, it is.” He looks around. “Nico?” She’s gone, the two horses and Patton’s unicorn grazing where she tied them, except for Snow who’s free.

"She must have gone back." Patton smirks "So we are free to do whatever." Patton swims around Nemo.

Nemo raises a brow at him. “Oh really?”

Patton giggles. "Tag your it!" Patton swims off. Nemo laughs and chases him.

“TAG! YOUR IT! TAG TAG YOUR IIIIT! GRAB MY HAND! PUSH ME DOWN! TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT MY MOUTH!” He sings. Patton giggles and dives. Nemo dives after him and tags him before racing off. Patton races after him. They go back and forth for a while before meeting up now tired and out of breath. Nemo leans on a floating log and gazes at the clouds.

Patton joins him. "I see why you like this so much." Nemo smiles. Patton rests his head on him. It's almost sunset.

“I love you.” Nemo whispers.

"I love you too." Patton holds his hand/

“Are you hungry?”

"Starving." Patton chuckles

Nemo smirks. “Okay. Let me dry out and then we can get some dinner.”

Patton smiles "Ok, I'm going to go take a shower." Patton kisses his cheek and swims to shore.

Nemo swims after him and hoists himself onto shore. Nico comes stumbling out of the forest, wet with blood and a bruise on her arm, but smiling. "What happen to you!?"

“There was a wild mare giving birth. She kicked me, but I’m fine.”

"Oh, ok. we’re heading back to start making dinner."

Nico nods. “Okay. I’m gonna shower before Roman thinks I got in a fight.” She laughs.

Nemo smirks. “Okay. I’m just gonna chill here till I change back.

“Okay. Can you bring the horses back?” Nico asks. 

“Sure thing.”

"Love you, Nemo!" Patton changes back and sinks out. Nico sinks out as well. 

Nemo waits until his body changes again. He snaps his fingers and he’s dressed. He hops on his horse, figuring Snow and the unicorn will follow. They head back down the trail towards the castle. Nemo’s horse becomes alert, ears flicking every which way. They hear a growl and Nemo tenses. 

In a heartbeat, gravity defies him. Pain erupts from his face as it hits the dirt. Fire shoots up his nerves from his leg. Something sinks into his arm and he screams, feeling himself being dragged away, the image of a cougar’s tail swaying in his vision. His screams become gargled and he can’t breathe. He can barely recognize Snow defending him. Then, everything goes dark. 


	16. Chapter 16

Everyone is seated at the table but Nemo. Things are awkwardly quiet thanks to the outburst at breakfast. Patton looks at Nemo's empty seat. "Roman is he still in the imagination?" 

"Yes." 

Patton taps his foot. "What could be taking so long?"

Roman feels his presence slowly fading before it’s gone. "Oh, he's not there."

Patton sighs "Ok then he should be down soon." 

They continue waiting, then start eating, but he’s still not down. “Maybe he went for a swim...?” Lue suggests.

"We just went swimming." Patton stands up. "I'm going to go check on him." He heads upstairs. He finds Nemo’s door gray. Patton covers his mouth. He opens Nemo's door. The room feels empty, his snakes all curled up on his bed, as if sad. Patton looks down. He slowly goes downstairs. "Nemo is dead." 

Nico looks up, shocked and horrified. “What!?”

“How?!” Lue stands.

"I don't know but his room is grey." 

Logan sighs "Did he commit suicide again?" 

"Don't say that! He had no reason to." Patton yells

"He doesn't need a reason. He will be back in three days so what does it matter? This is what the fifth time he has died?" Logan counts on his fingers thinking about it before giving up. "I've lost count." 

Roman looks shocked. "LOGAN!"

Mahaz whimpers. Sham covers his face. Virgil looks down. “You really think he killed himself over this morning...?”

“No! He was fine!” Nico covers her face. “I thought...”

"I'll be in my room," Patton mumbles

"Patton-" 

"Shut up Logan! If Nemo did kill himself it would because of you! You really hurt his feelings this morning. He trusted you, he thought you understood him and you...you." Tears fill his eyes. He storms upstairs his bedroom door slamming closed.

Virgil flinches and he closes his eyes. _‘What have I done...?’_ He thinks. Logan looks down the same thought goes through his head. Everyone goes silent. 

“I left him alone...” Nico mumbles.

Roman stands up. "I need to be alone for now." he sinks out. 

Terra frowns "Is... is it bad that I'm numb to him dying?"

“N-No... I think.” Nico sighs. Sham picks up his plate and sinks out.

"I think we should all leave and process this news.” Logan sinks out.

Virgil frowns and sinks out as well. Nico sinks out without another word. Lue frowns and looks to Terra, Pete, Mahaz, Ori, and George. Terra looks at Lue. "Distraction?"

Lue nods. “Face painting?”

"Ok."   
  
...  
  
Bias and Logic are yelling at each other. "There is no logical reason for Nemo to kill himself because of us." 

"THERE DOESN"T HAVE TO BE A _LOGICAL_ REASON. HE DID IT! HE DID IT BECAUSE WE YELLED AT HIM AND MADE HIM FEEL LIKE HE'S THE PROBLEM." 

"He is the problem! The way he copes is unhealthy and it gets nothing done. It's Insanity that he keeps doing it." 

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BE SO MEAN ABOUT IT!" 

Logic rubs his temple. "Please stop yelling you're giving me a headache." 

"NEMO IS DEAD AND YOUR WORRY ABOUT A HEADACHE!?"

"There is nothing we can do about Nemo now. He will be back in three days. Really why is everyone getting workup about this?" 

"YOU HAVE NO HEART!" 

"Correct I'm the brains of this pair. Look I don't believe Nemo killed himself, because Nemo has very obvious sighs when he is depressed. Patton would have picked up on it and not leave him alone." Bias thinks Logic continues "It's not in Nemo's character to be this sneak about how he feels. He is really easy to read once you spend enough time with him." 

"Why does everything you say come out rude?"

"Because you are choosing to see my tone as rude. I'm just stating the facts. Nemo would not have killed himself. At least not today." 

"How could you be so sure?"

"Because I'm looking at facts. While you are looking at if's and _emotions_." Bias pouts. "Look, now that Nemo is gone, I have to work harder to keep the facts straight and point out the truths. You should let me take control." 

"NO!" 

Logic covers his ears. "Again, with the yelling." 

"We have to work together. I can't have you have completed control you need me too." 

"We need truth, truth is facts, facts are not opinions which means no bias." Logic glares at him. 

Bias continues to pout. "The answer is no. The last time you took over you sent everyone into a panic, and we don't need that. We already know that we need both to be a balanced logic and the same is said with truth." 

"I don't see how?" 

Bias groans "You are so difficult." 

"You are bad at explaining things." 

Bias crosses his arms. “Let’s just fuse back this is getting us nowhere." 

"As per-usual you can't finish a debate." 

Bias growls and storms out. He goes over to Virgil’s room and enters. Virgil is on his bed, eyes closed and headphones on. He opens his eyes and looks at Bias, taking his headphones off. “Logan?” Bias jumps on the and hugs Virgil. Virgil blinks before hugging him back and starts crying. “What did I do...? This is my fault.”

"It's both our faults we were too mean to everyone." Tears form in Bias's eyes.

Virgil holds him tightly. He runs his fingers over Bias’s jacket, the one Virgil made for him. Logic runs in. "Oh goodness gracious, really?"

Virgil flinches. "Logic let us mourn." 

"No, you didn't kill him! He was in the imagination literally anything could have killed him. I'm telling you he didn't have the signs, but no. You want to believe it was your fault and hold this guilt for something you didn't do. Remind you of everyone?"

Virgil's grip tightens. "Just leave me alone Logic." 

Logic sighs "You are pathetic. Let me know when you want to get back together." Logic leaves.

Virgil buries his face into Bias. Bias holds him. "Sorry, he's an ass."

Virgil laughs dryly through his tears. "Yeah. So am I..."

"When Nemo comes back, we need to make this right. I am not getting back with Logic."

Virgil sighs. "You have to. You can't go three days separated like this."

"He wants to take full control because 'truth has no bias'." He mockingly quotes.

"Truth is relative. Relative means bias." Virgil frowns. "There are some universal truths though, so therefore you need both of you."

"Try telling him that. He thinks he's so smart because he's the brain."

"Well, you are too. The brain is made up of not only learning and logic but emotions as well. Whether he likes it or not, emotions are part of the brain."

Bias relaxes "You’re so smart."

Virgil smiles softly and kissed his head. "So are you star."

Bias hums "Patton is mad at me..." He frowns

"Yeah... Me too..." Virgil frowns.

"He didn't yell at you."

"Doesn't mean he doesn't blame me. I started it."

"Do you think we were too mean?"

"Yeah..."

"We should apologize to everyone."

"Yeah."

"Later, everyone is still upset about Nemo." Virgil nods and holds Bias closes "Cuddles?"

"Yeah."  
  
...  
  
Nico walks through the Imagination along the trail. She whistles and Snow comes to her, claw marks on her shoulder. Nico frowns and looks them over. "Where?" Snow nickers and Nico hops on. Snow takes off down the trail and into the forest. There's a trail of blood that leads to a place where the ground is soaked in it. Nico hops off and kneels down to the footprints. She traces them and sighs. "Cougar. Okay. Let's get you home." Nico hops back on and rides Snow back to the castle. She has a stablehand take care of her and sinks out in front of Patton's door. She gently knocks. Patton doesn't answer. "Patton... Nemo didn't kill himself."

"I don't care." Nico leans on the door for a moment and closes her eyes before pulling away and going to Roman's room. Roman sits at his desk.

Nico knocks. "Who is it?"

"Nico."

"Come in." Nico steps in and closes the door behind her. She goes to Roman and hugs him from behind, closing her eyes. "You know too?"

"The cougar?"

"Yeah..." 

Nico kisses his cheek. "It wasn't your fault. You had no control over that. You weren't even there, and you know Nemo would say the same."

"I know but... it's still my domain. That's my realm and he died in it and there was nothing I could do to stop it." 

"You didn't know he was in danger. I didn't know. If we did, we would have tried to save him but there was nothing to be done."

"Being told that I was powerless to stop it doesn't help as much as you think it does." 

Nico sighs and holds him tightly. "You need to let go of this guilt. It doesn't belong to you. You are not guilty for this. Please, Roman."

Roman puts down his pencil. "Fine, I'm going to bed. Make these three days go by faster." Nico nods. Roman stands up and goes to bed. Nico slides in beside him and holds him. Roman sighs and lets her.


	17. Chapter 17

_Screaming. Gurgling. Pain.  
_

Nemo shoots up breathing quickly and shaking. He looks around and finds himself in his room. He quickly reaches up and touches his throat, but it's intact. He sighs and lays back down, staring at the ceiling in thought. _'Did I really just die again?'_ he tries to roll over but finds it difficult. He frowns and sits up again, stretching. Beautiful gray and gold feathers extend into his view and he stares at them for a moment in shock, not breathing, until he faints.  
  
...

Everyone feels the shift in the mindscape, but no one seems to move. They are happy that he's back but like Terra said this is nothing new. After the shock wore off everyone became numb to the idea that Nemo was gone. It became more of a waiting game than anything. Virgil was able to convince Logic that Bias was needed for truth and they got back together. Besides Terra the kids are the only ones that are not numb to it and spent most of their time together Nico and Roman helping with distractions from Nemo being gone. 

No one has been able to get Patton out of his room. They are worried about him, but no one can get him to talk. They figure he will open up again once Nemo is back. Nemo blinks and wakes again. He feels his wings and pets them. He cries and holds them close. After a while, he finally cleans himself up and heads into the hall. He goes to Patton's door and gently knocks. Patton doesn't answer “Patton...?”

Patton looks up from his bed. He knows its Nemo, but he can't bring himself to really care. _'He's just going to die again. He's just going to be gone again.'_ he thinks 

Nemo places his head on the door. “Patton... are you there?” Patton rolls over in his bed away from the door. He just doesn't care anymore. Nemo frowns he doesn’t know what he should do. On one hand, everyone tells him how he’s a hypocrite for chasing them when he tells them to not chase him. On the other, he gets told that they need someone to come after them, to show them that someone still cares. He closes his eyes for a moment before opening the door. “Love?” He walks towards the bed. Patton ignores him Nemo holds his hand. “Patton?” His hand is grey. Nemo frowns and lays down next to him, holding him. He wraps his wings around him securely. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to; it was an accident.”

"You never mean to. It just happens." Nemo pets his head and closes his eyes. Patton says silent staring at nothing.

Nemo doesn’t know what to say. Patton’s right, and there’s nothing that can change that. He’s also starving, but he’s not going to leave him. _‘He’s tired of me dying. Like Roman and Nico. But I can’t help it.’_ He squeezes his eyes shut. _‘Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Stay strong for him.’_

Nemo holds him close. “How about dinner?” He suggests. He has a feeling Patton hasn’t eaten much the last three days. Patton shrugs Nemo kisses his head. “Come on. Please?”

"Fine." Patton doesn't move. Nemo picks him up and nuzzles him. He carries him downstairs.

Roman looks up from cooking. "Oh, Nemo you got Patton out of his room." Roman takes a double-take. "Oh, my Walt, your wings! Their back!"

Nemo smiles and nods. “Yeah...” He rocks Patton. Mahaz runs up, squealing and hugs his leg. Nemo laughs.

“MEMEO! MEMEO!” Sham runs up and hugs him as well. Nemo stumbles. Ori hugs him as well, knocking him over.

“Ah!” Nemo shields Patton and laughs from under the hug pile. Lue stands over him, smiling with tears. “Come onnnn!” Nemo smirks. Lue laughs lightly and falls on top of them. Mahaz squirms out and goes to Nemo’s head, patting his face.

Ori giggles and holds Nemo tight. Roman laughs "The kids really miss you." 

Nemo wraps his wings around all of them smiling through tears. “I am so sorry.” 

Sham buries his face into him. “Please ask for help next time?”

“What?” Nemo frowns in confusion.

"Oh right, I meant to clear that up. Sham, it wasn't suicide. He got attack by a cougar." 

“Oh...” Sham looks at him. 

Nemo sighs. “Yeah...” he looks at Roman. “You know it wasn’t your fault, okay?”

"Yeah, Nico already hammer that into me. Guys let him get up." He chuckles Ori blushes and gets off.

Lue gets up. Sham holds onto him a moment longer before getting up. Nemo sits up and Mahaz crawls over to him. “You are so big now!” Nemo exclaims. “What is he, like 2 now?”

Lue chuckles and nods. “Yeah.”

"I swear no baby can say your name right Memeo." Roman smirks

Nemo chuckles. “I don’t really mind.” He pets Mahaz’s head.

Roman looks at Patton. "Still numb huh?" Patton doesn't respond.

Nemo holds him close and stands. “What’s for dinner?”

"Mac and Cheese, basic for now." 

“Sounds good." Ori hugs Nemo again. Logan goes down the stairs sees Nemo and quickly goes back upstairs.

Nemo frowns a bit but lets him go. "Haven't seen much of him and Virgil. I think they feel guilty about what happened. Patton yelled at Logan." 

“Oh...” Nemo rubs Ori’s back.

"Not going to lie. Most of us are numb to the dying thing. we come back after 3 days so it doesn't really matter. No one is in real danger unless your room gets burned down but even then, I can just bring them back so honestly, we are immortal until Thomas dies." Roman shrugs

Nemo nods. "What if your Room gets burn down? You can't bring yourself back." 

Roman thinks "Well Thomas would have a completely different personality." 

Ori tilts her head. 'Why?'

"Well because..." Roman thinks "Ok so there is a ranking. Me, Patton, Logan and Virgil and the main four. We have the strongest influence on Thomas, hands down. After us is the rest of the light sides. Which are you guys. After that are the dark sides then last the gray sides having extremely low influence. If Thomas was to lose me. His creativity, hopes, dreams, motivation, pride, ego. Well... basically Thomas would become the opposite of all of that." Roman shrugs "But don't worry I'm not going anywhere any time soon." Ori slowly nods

Nemo frowns deeply. Lue looks up. “Oh! Nemo! The kids made something for you!” He races upstairs. Nemo tilts his head. Ori claps

Sham giggles. Lue comes back downstairs with something in his hands. Nemo sits on the couch with Patton in his lap. Lue opens his hands, displaying the necklace with different colored beads, each representing a side. “Oh. Wow!” Nemo gasps. Lue gently pulls it over Nemo’s head and smirks as he plays with it. The kids gather around. “I love it!” Ori claps and giggles happily. 

Sham beams and Mahaz tries to climb onto the couch but slides back down. Lue chuckles and helps Mahaz up. Mahaz crawls over to Nemo and hugs him. Nemo smiles and looks at everyone. “Thank you.”

'You’re welcome.' Ori signs Patton looks at the necklace and gently holds it.

George races downstairs and gasps. “MEMEO!” He goes to leap on the couch, but Lue catches him before he lands on Mahaz and sets him on Nemo’s other side. Nemo laughs and ruffles his hair. 

“So, are you the Nanny now?” He smirks at Lue who rolls his eyes. 

“Whatever.”

"Lue is a really good Nanny." Roman smirks

Lue blushes. “Shut up.” Nemo laughs.

Sham giggles and jumps on Lue’s back who falls under his wait. “Nanny Lue.”

“NO!”

Ori giggles and hugs Lue. "Nanny Lue Lue." Lue groans. Nemo continues laughing. Patton smirks a little.

George hugs his face. Lue sighs. “Fiiiiiiine.”

Ori squeezes Lue. "Nanny Lue Lue!"

Lue pats her back, smiling softly. Pete comes downstairs. “What is happening?”

"We are hugging Nanny Lue Lue." 

Pete giggles. “Nanny Lue Lue?”

“Don’t ask just hug,” Nemo smirks. 

Pete gasps and runs over to hug him. “You have your wings back!”

Nemo smiles and hugs her back. “Yup.”  


Terra comes down he looks at Nemo. "Welcome back." 

“Thanks.” Nemo offers him a smile despite a feeling in his stomach. He nuzzles Patton. Patton doesn't react much, but he doesn't let go of Nemo. He watches the hug pile on the ground with a small smirk.

“Can I please get up?” Lue asks. 

“Yes.” Sham stays on top of him.

"Lue what did you do?"

“Nothing!”

“Nanny Lue Lue!” The kids exclaim. 

Nemo laughs again. “Blame Nemo!” Lue sighs and gives up.

"Oh, I'm not letting this down," Terra smirks

“Nooooooo!” Lue whines.

"Nanny Lue Lue! Nanny Lue Lue! Nanny Lue Lue!" All the kids chant.

“Just accept it,” Nemo smirks. 

“I did!” Lue huffs.

Roman laughs "Alright kids let Nanny Lue Lue go. Dinner is going to be ready in a few minutes go wash up or whatever." Roman waves them off.

The kids giggle and run upstairs. Mahaz continues holding onto Nemo. Lue takes a dramatic breath. “Thank you. I was dying.”

“Oh don’t worry. There’s more on the way.” Nemo grins. Patton giggles Some of his color returning. Nemo smiles and kisses his cheek. He stands and carries him to the table. Lue goes and sits down as well. The kids come back downstairs and sit down. Pete picks up Mahaz and brings him to the table. Logan and Virgil are the last to come down.

Virgil barely glances at Nemo and looks down. “You got your wings back.” He mumbles. 

“Yeah...” Nemo watches them. “Look, That morning... I forgive you.”

Virgil shakes his head. “I didn’t even say sorry yet.”

“I know.” Nemo smiles warmly at him. 

Virgil looks back sadly before getting up and hugging him. Nemo hugs him back. “You didn’t deserve that...” he whispers, close to tears. 

Nemo runs his back. “It’s okay. Just let it go. I have.” Logan goes into eating. Virgil pulls away and wipes his eyes. Nemo gives his hand a squeeze and smiles at him. Virgil smiles and sits back down. Nemo looks at Logan. “That goes for you too.”

"I am aware." 

Nemo sighs and starts eating. “Thank you, Roman.”

"No problem it's just mac and cheese." 

“Still.” Nemo smiles at him. Nico gazes at him thoughtfully. Nemo smirks at her. “Yes?”

Nico blinks. “Oh. I was just thinking.”

“About?”

“Have you ever thought of dyeing your feathers?”

Nemo blinks. “Huh. Actually no.”

“What if you dye the ends?” Nico suggests. 

Nemo laughs. “How long would that take?”

"Hours also feathers are a different material than hair so hair dye would damage the wings and he would constantly have to redo it because the feathers fall off and he grows new ones," Logan says

Nico sighs. “Okay. It was just an idea.”

“Well... there’s spray-on hair paint,” Nemo says. “It comes out in a wash, right?”

“Yeah!” Nico beams. 

Nemo chuckles. “I’m gonna be a human canvas.”

"Your funeral." Roman chuckles

Nemo laughs. “It can’t be that bad-“ he catches Nico grinning mischievously. “Okay. Uh. Now I’m scared.” Nico laughs. Patton chuckles to himself. Nemo looks at Terra. “How are you feeling?”

Terra shrugs "Eeh." 

Nemo smirks softly and nods. He looks at Roman. “You?”

"Better now you are back." 

Nemo nods and looks around the table. “If anyone needs to say anything, know that what is said at this table will stay here.” He says lovingly.

Logan puts his fork down. "I will take this time to fully apologize for my behavior last Sunday. I was frustrated and annoyed and lash out against you all. As I still believe in what I said, there was a better way to share my information." 

Nemo nods. “We forgive you.”

Virgil looks at Nico. “I’m sorry I called you... that...”

Nico nods. “I forgive you.”

"I will never understand the forgiveness in this family." Logan shakes his head and picks up his fork.

Nemo smiles softly and continues eating. “It’s called love.”

"Patton applies that you were upset with me. I'm guessing he was either wrong or you have already forgiven me." 

“I was hurt and if I’m honest, it’s probably going to take time for me to trust you liked I did before, but you were right. And I have been trying to stop running...” Nemo looks down and bites his lip. He takes a deep breath and looks up. “Sometimes when I leave, I just need some time to think and process without input. And then sometimes, I need someone to come after me to prove to me they care... and... I know it’s hard on you guys, so I try to stop, but... old habits die hard.”

"I have never lied to you. Everything I have said in the past holds true. I care a lot about you, and you are an extremely loyal friend and its fine when you need a minute. That is natural but running away to see if we will chase you is not ok." 

Nemo nods. “I know. It was unconscious. I didn’t even realize I was doing it until I thought about it later, and when I did realize it, I tried to stop.”

Logan nods "I'm still with you and I will help in any way I can, and I will try to," Logan thinks of the right word to use. "watch my attitude." 

Nemo nods and smiles at him. “Thank you. I’ll try to...” he thinks. “Not be so heavy on you.”

"Nemo you can't help your weight." 

Nemo snorts. “I mean... not depend on you so much. It’s taking a toll on you...” he bites his lip. ‘ _Like everyone... no. Nemo it’s okay.’_

"I think we need to work on finding better coping mechanism so when you are alone you can stop yourself. Clearly, this isn't working." 

Nemo nods. “He is getting better.” Nico comments. “You’re mindful of how you feel and what you’re thinking, and you usually are able to stop yourself before you get too deep. You’re emotional, but you’ve learned to accept that part of yourself and understand it’s okay.” Nemo smiles at her.

"I'm not denying that he isn't getting better because he is, and I am proud of him but there are still improvements to be made. Like you said habits die hard, but a habit is just a signal in the brain that tells you to do something when a certain event occurs. What you need to do is when you find the trigger you stop yourself from doing the action and do another activity instead. That will build up a new reaction to the trigger." 

"And he went into rant mode.” Roman smirks

Nemo chuckles. “Informational though. I will try that.”

Logan nods "Satisfactory." Logan goes back to eating. Nemo smirks at him. Patton leans on Nemo. He hasn't started eating. Nemo nuzzles him and lifts a spoonful to his lips. Patton looks at it and eats it. Nemo continues feeding him.

"Movie night?" Terra asks

“Sure!” Nemo beams. Mahaz yawns.

"I think the kids need to go to bed," Roman smirks George yawns. 

"I'm not tired!"

“Oh, I’m sure.” Lue picks him up and gently rocks him.

George holds onto Lue. "I'm super awake." he yawns again. 

Terra smirks "Nanny Lue Lue strikes again." Lue ignores Terra and continues rocking George, humming. George quickly falls asleep. Lue continues rocking him and heads upstairs. Pete giggles and picks up Mahaz, heading upstairs as well.

"You think that now Lue has figured out how to better his job we can go back to the dark side?"

Terra looks at Roman. "Why? You want him to leave or something?"

"No, it's not that. Lue just misses the dark side we are great and all but Lue misses Evan and the others. That's his core family." 

Nemo frowns. “I don’t know. If he goes back down, he loses influence...”

"Is that a bad thing?" Logan asks "Thomas will be less horny." 

“Maybe. Maybe not. Thomas was hornier before Lue came up; he just was too scared to do anything about it.” Nemo points out.

“So... you’re saying if Lue goes back down the problem will come back...?” Nico asks. 

“I’m saying it’s a possibility.” Lue comes back and sits down.

"So, what movie do we want to watch?" Roman quickly changes the subject.

“I don’t know- OH! Moana!” Nemo exclaims. 

Lue laughs. “What?”

Nico gasps. “You haven’t seen Moana!?”

“I’m guessing it’s Disney...?”

"Yes, it is, and it has music created by the great Lin-Manuel Miranda! I agree let’s watch it." Roman claps

“Who’s Lin-Manuel Miranda person?” Lue blinks and Nemo gasps. 

“HAMILTON!”

Lue jumps. “Okayyyyy then...”

"He is a rap genius," Logan says

“HE’S A MUSICAL GENIUS! HE’S ABLE TO WRITE ALL THESE SONGS AND MAKE A STORY IN THEM LIKE NOTHING!” Nemo exclaims.

"It took him 2 years to write My Shot." Logan points out.

“Okay, well that just means he needed to find the perfect words.” Nemo claps excitedly. “He was nonstop.”

“So has he replaced Twenty-One Pilots?” Virgil smirks. 

“NO! TYLER JOSEPH AND LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA ARE BOTH EQUALLY MUSICALLY TALENT BEINGS!”

“Chill Mo. You’re gonna wake George and Mahaz.” Lue smirks. Patton pat's his head.

Nemo sighs. “Okay.” Everyone gathers around the couch to watch the movie. Nemo holding Patton. Roman holds Nico, Virgil holds Logan. Sham holds Ori.

Pete comes back downstairs and makes some popcorn. Lue sits in his own chair, upside down just to annoy Logan. “I can still see it.” He replies with a smirk when Nemo said he can’t watch the movie upside down. "It's ok, he will get light head quickly and turn around."

“That’s not happening,” Lue says. Two minutes later he falls on the floor and quickly sits normally.

"Told you." Lue huffs and watches the movie. Pete comes out and passes popcorn out to everyone before sitting down.


	18. Chapter 18

The next morning Evan feels weird. Everything feels brighter. He gets out of bed and leaves his room. He looks in the hallway. He looks extremely confused. He sees Lue's door and goes over and knocks. No answer. Evan goes down two flights of stairs. The smell of coffee greets him as he descends. Nemo is in the kitchen, writing. "Uh... Hey?"

Nemo jumps and looks up. He stands. “Evan!?”

"The one and only." Evan shrugs.

Nemo blinks. “Okay then... do you- uh. Want some coffee?”

"Sure." Evan sits down. Nemo goes and makes him a cup. He brings it over to him. Evan sips it. "So, this happened."

“Yeah...” Nemo thinks. “I’m drawing a blank right now... maybe Logan will have some ideas. He should be down soon.”

"Whatever just keep your drama away from me."

Nemo frowns but nods. _‘Lue was like this when he first came up.’_ He reminds himself.

Evan sips his coffee. "At least I can be with Lue know."

Nemo nods and smiles softly. “Yeah... he really misses you.”

Evan nods "Downside, Lokoi is by himself with Sloth."

Nemo frowns. “Yeah... well Raven is there, right?”

"Oh yeah forgot about him."

Logan comes down a few minutes later. He looks at Evan. "Oh... You're here."

"Hi to you too." Evan rolls his eyes. Nemo passes Logan a mug.

Logan takes it. "So... This isn't good."

“Why? If he’s up here without our influence it means he needs to be here.” Nemo says.

"Yes, an increase of jealousy is going to be great."

"Hey, I didn't ask for this!"

“Logan please,” Nemo begs.

"What do you want me to do? Maybe Roman is having an ego problem and increase jealousy."

“No. It’s not that. There hasn’t been I don’t think.” Nemo shakes his head. _‘This is gonna be fun...’_

"I'll be in my room."

“Okay,” Nemo says. Once Evan is gone, he turns to Logan. “Please try to choose your words wisely. You remember how hard it was on Lue when he came up. And Terra.”

"Right well I don't know if all of these negative traits being up here is a good idea. Maybe something is wrong with Thomas that we missed."

“Again, we’re not the ones doing this.”

"Well, something is doing this."

Nemo sighs. “Maybe it’s the divisions...”

"Divisions?"

“We keep trying to build relationships, but we’re divided. Maybe we’re supposed to mend together. We are all part of Thomas.”

"Yes, but some parts are bad. We wouldn't be friends with Malice or Greed."

“Yes, but they’re dead. And if Sloth comes up, we’re putting him back down there until he’s ready to apologize and work with us.”

Logan sighs "It's getting crowded up here. I swear we need a mansion or something. I'm getting claustrophobic."

“You? Claustrophobic?” Nemo raises a brow.

Logan rubs his head. "I don't like people. I'm not as trusting like the rest of you. Things were simple when it was just four. Now there are 13. 13 Nemo! Everything is loud and it took me a long time to just get comfortable with the four, then I bonded with you and I've hit my limit. I want peace and quiet and it just. None here." Logan sits down.

Nemo nods slowly. “Yeah...”

"This house is too small. We can barely fit on the couch and I can't work with all this noise and everyone has something going on that needs to be fix and the yelling and the-" he groans and lays his head down on the table.

Nemo rubs his back. “Just breathe. We’ll figure it out. Roman can change the house. We can make a rec room and a dining hall. Then this can just be the commons. We can make an office room that will be just for you and no one else is allowed to be on that floor without your permission.”

Logan sighs "Yeah...ok." he rubs his face. "Apologize for my outburst."

“It’s okay. It’s natural. You’re overwhelmed and needed options. I’ll talk with Roman about what we can do.”

"Talk about what?" Roman stands behind them.

Nemo looks up. “We need a bigger house.” He continues rubbing Logan’s back and mouths. ‘Please be gentle.’ to Roman.

"House makeover?" Roman smiles

Nemo smirks. “Yup. What about a Rec room and a dining hall? And an office floor.”

"I want an art studio." Roman beams "and Patton can have a bigger kitchen, oh and Nico can have an indoor garden. Oh, the possibility is endless." Roman bounces.

“Just don’t push yourself,” Nemo warns.

"Oh, this will take weeks of course but still I've been wanting to fix this place for years.”

Nemo chuckles. “Okay. Work on the blueprints and then we’ll discuss it with everyone later today or tomorrow.” Roman nods and runs upstairs. Nemo smiles and looks back at Logan. “You okay?”

"Yeah, I feel better now that I got that off my chest."

Nemo nods. “What sounds good for breakfast?”

Logan shrug "Cereal."

  
Nemo nods. “What kind?” He goes to the cupboard.

"Honey nut Cheerios."

Nemo pulls it out and makes a bowl for Logan. He brings it over to him. “Anything else?”

"I'm fine." Logan starts eating. Nemo nods and grabs a pop tart for himself before starting on some scrambled eggs.

...  
  
Lue gets out of the shower and gets dressed before heading out. He casually glances down the hall then stops when he sees Evan’s door. He blinks a moment before going and knocking. Evan opens the door. Lue covers his mouth and hugs him. Evan hugs him back. Lue kisses him and closes his eyes. Evan holds him close. Lue pulls out with a sigh and rests his head on him. His eyes open. “Lokoi? Raven?”

"Still down there."

Lue sighs. “Sloth shouldn’t try anything on Lokoi and if he does, I trust Raven to take care of them and get us.”

"Sloth knows that if he tries anything, we will beat the shit out of him."

“Yup.” Lue holds Evan close. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

"At least someone is."

Lue frowns. “What do you mean?”

"Had a not so welcoming talk with Logan."

“Oh...”

Nemo comes upstairs and sees them. “Hey, breakfast is ready.”

Lue smiles at him. “Okay!”

Nemo knocks on Pete and Ori’s doors. “Breakfast is ready girls!”

“Coming!” Pete calls. Ori knocks on the wall her signal that she's coming.

Nemo heads downstairs. Lue leads Evan down as well. Nico is on her way down. “Oh- hey Evan!” She smiles.

"Hey, Nico." Evan waves as he goes down.

Nemo comes back upstairs. “Patton glued in bed?” Nico asks. 

“Seems like it.” He goes to Patton’s room. “Honeybee?” Patton groans Nemo kisses his head. “Come on. Breakfast.”

"Not hungry."

“You still need to eat.” Nemo picks him up and nuzzles him, carrying him downstairs. Patton holds him and sighs.

Everyone is already seated; Roman having summoned another chair for Evan. Lue holds his hand reassuringly. Nemo sits down with Patton.

"Ok, ok, ok so we are doing a full house makeover." Roman beams

Nico looks at him then looks suspiciously around the table. “Nemo.” She decides on the culprit. 

“He said he would take it slow!” Nemo defends.

“Wait- really?” Lue perks up.

"Yes, this house is too old and small. We need big! Better!"

Lue giggles madly. “Can I help?”

“Yes!” Nico exclaims. Pete squeals excitedly.

"Everyone can help! You can have anything you want!"

"Gaming room?" Terra asks

“DRAGON STABLE!” Sham exclaims.

"We can't have dragons in the mindscape," Logan says

“Aww but you have snakes and Nemo has a bird.” Sham pouts. Nico giggles.

"I still don't understand how." Logan shakes his head.

Roman waves Logan off. "Anyway, Nico you can have a garden."

Nico gasps. “Really!? Like a greenhouse?”

"Sure!"

“Can I have just a little dragon?” Sham begs Nico. 

“I think I can only do that when I’m a gray side,” Nico says.

"And Patton you can have a bigger kitchen with new cooking machines," Roman says

Patton gives a small smile. "That would be nice."

“Ooo! What about a movie theater!?” Lue exclaims excitedly. 

Mahaz doesn’t know what’s happening, but he can tell everyone is excited and happy, so he claps happily. He reaches around. “Lue Lue!” Pete giggles and hands him around the table until he reaches Lue. 

Lue bounces him. “What about a nursery?”

“Oh yeah. Nanny Lue Lue needs a nursery.” Nemo snickers. 

“For the kids, not me!” Lue huffs but smirks. “But I bet I could take you in a xylophone battle.”

Nemo gasps. “You wouldn’t dare...” he grins. 

“Oh, I would...” Roman writes everything down.

Virgil blinks. “Nanny Lue Lue?”

“Don’t-“

“Lue is the kid's Nanny,” Nemo smirks. 

Virgil nods slowly. “Oh.” He looks around at everyone and then at the house. He looks at Roman. “Don’t touch my room.”

"Done." Roman raises his hands

Nemo looks at Virgil. “It isn’t going to happen overnight. It’ll be a little bit at a time.” Virgil nods and exhales, relaxing a bit.

Nico gasps. “What if we have murals all over the place?”

“What if we spray paint them!??” Pete bounces. Logan holds his hand. Roman writes more ideas down.

“What about an indoor pool connected to the rec room?” Nemo suggests. 

“Guys, this is a house, not a castle,” Virgil says.

"It can be a castle!" Roman is beaming smiles wide.

“The current three floors can stay the same, the new floors will just be added,” Nemo says. 

“Great. More places to lose George.” Virgil mumbles. 

“We’ll need an elevator-“

**“NO!”** Virgil shouts, interrupting Nico. 

She takes a breath. “Okay. An escalator?”

Virgil sighs. **“Sure...”**

"It won't be all upstairs. We need a dining room, a bigger kitchen. Bigger common room. Maybe a new paint scheme." Roman thinks.

“Neon,” Pete whispers. “Neon everywhere,” Lue smirks at her knowingly. 

“No, too much neon would give Logan a headache,” Nemo says.

Logan nods "A neutral color please."

“Black. Like my soul.” Sham says with a smirk. 

“Hey! Only I’m aloud to say that!” Virgil exclaims. 

“What about warm and spacious? Like a variegated yellow and orange?” Lue suggests. 

Nico gasps. “Lue you’re amazing!”

Lue blushes. “Uh- thanks?”

"Too bright," Logan says

Roman shakes his head. "It's not too bright your too dull."

“Roman!” Nemo, Nico, and Virgil look at him, Virgil glaring.

"Sorry." Roman raises his hand.

Logan waves them off. "It's fine."

Nico sighs and stands. “It’s not a bright yellow. I’ll show you.” She sinks out. 

“NICO WE’RE STILL EATING!” Nemo calls up the stairs. Nico rises up and quickly eats her plate before dropping it in the sink and sinking out again.

Logan looks at Virgil. "Are you ok with this. I know you don't like change."

“So long as something stays familiar, you all go do what you want. Don’t expect to see me outside my room much.”

Roman nods Logan squeezes his hand. "My room will stay the same."

“I like mine how it is,” Nemo says. “Besides, if we wanna change our rooms, we can do that ourselves.”

"I will leave everyone’s rooms alone. But this house will be bigger and hopefully more comfortable for everyone."

Nico rises up and shows Logan a tile with a soft yellow on it. “We can also paint a light orange over it with a sponge to tone it down a bit too.”

Logan nods "That should be fine. Sorry bright colors hurt my eyes."

“It’s okay. We want this to be comfortable for everyone.” Nico smiles and passes the tile around. “We can also have some walls plain white or other colors. The game room can be black or dark blue with glow in the dark on the trim.”

Nemo drops his fork. “Can we have a music room?” He begs, close to tears.

"Sure, and we can make it soundproof so you can be as loud as possible."

“Yesssss,” Nemo whispers to himself.

“Scream your heart into your songs.” Virgil chuckles. Patton smirks

“Lue? Evan? Do you have any ideas?” Nico asks.

Evan shrugs "I'll think about it."

“I can’t think of anything else but if I do, I’ll let you know!” Lue says.

Roman nods "I will be in my room. This will be perfect." Roman sinks out.

“Wait for me!” Nico sinks out. Logan relaxes.

Virgil lays his head on him. Lue gets up and cleans up his plate. “Okay, well how about we finish that banner from yesterday?” 

George claps happily. “Yeah!” Mahaz claps just because George is clapping. Lue chuckles and picks them both up. 

“Hey, Pete? Would you mind letting Raven and Lokoi know what happened, so they don’t freak out?”

“Sure.” Pete sinks out. Logan massages Virgil's head. Sham clean up his and Ori’s plate and follow Lue upstairs to the relaxing room, Terra behind them.

Logan looks at Patton. "Your still grey. What's wrong?" Patton shrugs.

Nemo frowns and nuzzles him. “How about we just cuddle for a bit?”

"Ok."

Nemo looks to Virgil who nods. Nemo sinks out with Patton. Virgil gets started on the dishes. Evan leaves. Logan helps Virgil with the dishes. "You sure you’re ok with this?"

“Eh. It needs to happen. I’ll get over it.”

Logan sighs "I really do need this." Virgil glances at him and nods. He goes back to the dishes. "If you’re not ok with a change, let us know. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Virgil nods. “I will.” Logan kisses his head. Virgil smiles and kisses his cheek. “I love you.”

"I love you too."

...

Lue helps the kids with finger painting on a banner while Evan watches. He lets Mahaz have his own corner while the others scatter their designs all over. Terra paints a sugar skull in a corner. Sham and George work on a dragon while Pete does abstract. Ori paints circles and other curve patterns

Lue guides Mahaz’s hand from the paper plate to the banner. He smiles and looks at Evan. “You can join too.”

"I'm good."

“You sure?” Lue smirks and shows him his paint-covered hands.

"I'm sure."

Lue shrugs and keeps helping Mahaz. “Okay. I think you’re done.” He pulls Mahaz away who happily goes along with him. He carries him to the sink and washes his hands. Evan watches. Mahaz claps and splashes the water. Lue laughs. “Hey!” He grabs a towel and dries Mahaz off. Sham comes over to the sinks and starts scrubbing the paint off his scales. Lue thinks. “Hey, Sham. Has Mahaz felt your scales yet?” Sham blinks and shakes his head. “Do you mind?” Sham shakes his head again. He dries his hands and takes Mahaz. 

Mahaz feels around and touches Sham’s scales. Mahaz gasps and pulls his hand away before he pats Sham’s scaled cheek. Sham chuckles and sits down. Mahaz starts petting his cheek and he purrs. Lue works on cleaning up while Pete, Terra, Ori, and George wash up. "It looks nice." Terra smiles

“Yeah! You all did great!” Lue says. “Let’s let it dry for now. Maybe we can go to the Imagination?”

“COBALT!” Sham exclaims and sinks out. He rises up in the hall and knocks on Roman’s door.

"Come in."

Sham opens the door. “Can we go to the Imagination?” He bounces Mahaz excitedly who squeals happily.

There are blueprints everywhere. "Yeah sure go ahead." Roman waves him off. Sham sinks back into the relaxing room and gives the thumbs up. Everyone holds hands and sinks out to a field. Sham whistles and Cobalt and Violet swoop down and land.

Terra hugs Violet. "Hey, girl miss me." Sham hugs Cobalt who purrs. Mahaz pets Cobalt and coos. Terra jumps on Violet. Violet takes off. "Woah hey, Violet!"

Sham gives Mahaz to Lue and takes Ori’s hand, helping her on then hopping on himself. Cobalt takes off. “Hey! What about me!?” Pete exclaims. Lue laughs and sets Mahaz and George down in the grass. Mahaz gasps and pets it, exploring.

"Violet where are we going?" Terra tries to stop Violet, but she keeps going.

There’s a low growl in the bushes that no one hears except Mahaz. He turns towards it and tilts his head. George continues picking flowers. “Lue Lue?” Mahaz questions. 

Lue turns and looks his eyes widen and he summons a knife but keeps it hidden from the kid's view. He cautiously approaches the bushes. “Evan... take the kids.”

Pete looks over and frowns. She picks up Mahaz. “Lue? What is it?” 

“Just back away slowly,” Lue says, eyes never leaving their target. Evan takes George's hand and backs away. “No one’s looking?” Lue questions. Pete turns George away. 

A cougar leaps out for Lue, but he rolls and throws the knife. It lodges itself in the cougar’s hip and it yelps and limps then runs away. "We should take the kids back," Evan says

Lue continues glaring after where the cougar went. “I have a suspicion...” he goes back to them. 

“You think it’s the same one...?” Pete asks quietly. Lue nods. 

“Where’d the others go?”

“Who knows.” Pete sighs. 

Lue groans. “We can’t fly!”

"Guys it's the imagination." Evan starts to float up.

“Oh... yeah.” Lue thinks then smirks. Boots form, taking place of his sneakers. He starts running and leaps into the air, sparks flying as he runs on nothing.

Pete shakes her head and races off. "You don't wanna fly?" Lue calls.

"Super speed is more fun!" Pete answers.


	19. Chapter 19

Sham follows Terra until a portal is summoned. "VIOLET STOP!" Terra flies through the portal and disappears.

"TERRA!?" Cobalt comes to a stop and roars. Sham and Ori look around. "TERRA!" Sham calls. Cobalt sniffs the air but can't find anything. "TERRA!" Sham continues yelling. Cobalt flies back to the others. 

"Where's Terra?" Lue calls.

"I know! We flew threw a portal!" Ori holds Sham tightly.  
  
...  
  
Terra looks behind him and sees that Sham is gone. He looks back at Violet. **"Put me down now."** Violet goes to the ground. Terra jumps off. **"What the hell is your problem? Where are we?"**

"That's no way to talk to your ride." Terra turns and finds Bell. He smirks "Sorry I would have called but I got no phone." 

Terra runs up and hugs him. "How did you?"

"I told Violet that you were lonely, and she agreed to help the next time you came. I didn't think it would be soon." Bell hugs him back. "Come on we didn't get to talk a lot at the party." 

"Actually, I should get back Sham is probably worried sick."

"Hey your safe and that's all he will care about in the end. Besides you live with the guy. Just for an hour or two. Please?" 

Terra thinks then nods "Ok but just an hour." Bell smiles and takes his hand. They run off together.  
  
...

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY DISAPPEARED!?" Lue paces. Sham would comment on how he looks like Nemo but keeps his mouth shut. Lue groans. "You know what? We're asking Roman. I don't have a pride complex and I know Nemo wouldn't kill me over asking for help over losing his son. He would kill me if Terra got hurt. Actually no. Roman would. Oh my gosh, I lost Terra." he continues pacing. 

"Lue, breathe. It's okay." Pete says.

"It's not okay!" Lue sinks out and rises up in Roman's room. "Roman!"

Roman jumps "What? I'm kinda busy."

"I'm so sorry. I lost Terra. Can you help us find him?"

"Again?" Lue bites his lip. Roman sighs "Anyone else missing?"

"No."

"Good." Roman stands up. He takes Lue's and hand sinks to the others. "Ok, what happened?"

"We disappeared through a portal on Cobalt," Sham says.

"Oh... I should mention the cougar was back again. I took care of it, but that's why we were going to leave." Lue says.

"What is with the cougars?" Roman sighs "Ok let's just get him back." He snaps his fingers, but nothing happens. He groans.

"What? What happened?" Lue asks.

"It's more like what didn't happen. I can't go to him because we are in story mode."

Sham screams in frustration and tries to sink out. He disappears with Ori. Lue blinks. "I thought you said we were in story mode?"

"We are if we want to be. As long as we are not the focus we can leave. In a sense, if we have a role to play."

Lue nods. "Okay... Well, let's get Mahaz and George out of here. Pete?" 

Pete takes George from Evan. "I'll be back." she sinks out.

Roman thinks "Terra needs to learn a lesson. He's the focus and given that he's missing I think I know what it is."

"Loneliness?" Lue asks.

"Eeh, I think it's the same as mine. Knowing that people care."

Lue frowns. "Oh, please tell me not the dragon witch..."

"No, it is personalized. I have the dragon witch, Sham had Snake man, you had something different, Terra will have something different."

Pete rises up again. "Okay... Oh yeah..." Lue looks down in thought then looks up at Evan. "You in or no?"

"I care about three people. Terra is one of them so let's go get the little terror." Evan starts walking.

Lue and Pete start walking as well. Lue looks at Roman. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere, the story will push us forward. I just hope Terra is ok.  
  
...  
  
Terra and Bell laugh "O my God you’re so funny. Just how I remember you."

Bell smirks "Yeah you can stay you know."

"What?" Terra tilts his head.

"You can stay. Here with me. We can make whatever you want and still do your job for Thomas. You get away from all the drama and we can hang here. If the others want to see you then can. It's perfect and you will never feel alone because I will be here with you."

Terra thinks "That would be nice..." He frowns

Bell frowns "What's wrong?"

"Nothing it's just... You’re not real." Terra looks at him. "That sounds perfect. It sounds like everything I want, but it's fake. Your gone, there is a new Rebellion."

"But I'm still here. Just like old times."

"No!" Terra stands up. "That's the problem. You’re a memory. You are only what I remember of you. You are this perfect angel of Bell. All we can have is the past. I need the future, I need to move past you. Staying here, running away it will just make things worse." Terra sits down. 

Bell moves over to him. "Is that really what you want?"

"It's what I need. Bell you will always be my best friend, but I need to accept that you’re not coming back. You’re like an imaginary friend. I need real ones. I need my family no matter how much drama goes their way. I need to support them."

"So they will support you." Terra nods "Terra you have grown so much. It's not you and me against the world anymore. You have a whole family that has your back. I'm kinda jealous."

Terra chuckles "Your dead."

"Still jealous, never thought Lue would be a Nanny." 

Terra laughs "Yeah... We all have changed. I think I'm ready."

"One last hug?" Terra nods 

"Yeah." Terra stands up. Bell hugs him tightly.

"You take care of yourself and the others."

"Yeah, I will. Goodbye Bell."

"Bye Terra." Terra feels the extra pressure slip away. He closes his eyes. He soon is hugging himself. The others see him in the distance.

Lue races forward. "TERRA!" Pete chases after them. Lue soon reaches him and hugs him tightly. "Are you okay!? Are you hurt!?" he looks him over.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Roman looks around. "You finish the quest."

“Quest?”

"Quest, you got into story mode."

Terra thinks "I guess I did finish."

Lue holds him tightly. "Please don't disappear like that again."

"I make no promises." 

Evan smirks "Good now let's get out of here."

They hear a neigh. Snow comes galloping towards them, Nico atop her. They come to a stop. "Hey." Nico pants.

"What are you doing here?" Lue asks.

"Tracking... Cougar... It was... Stabbed..."

Lue slowly raises his hand. "That was me. It was stalking the kids."

Nico nods. "Found... It's den. It has cubs."

Pete's eyes widen. "Oh... She was defending the den..."

Roman nods "Good job Nico I'll have the area mark, so we stay away from it."

Nico smiles. "Okay. Let's go." Lue says and waves bye to Nico and Roman. He, Evan, Pete, and Terra sink into the commons. Sham and Ori are on the couch, playing with George and Mahaz.

Terra waves "Sup." Ori looks up and hugs him. Terra smirks and pat's her head.

Sham looks up and sighs in relief. "You good bro?"

"Yeah, I'm moving forward now. Sorry for the scared."

Sham nods. "It's okay." Lue gives his shoulder a squeeze. Pete takes Mahaz from Sham and bounces him.

"Well now that Terra is back, I have work to do." Roman leaves.

"Are you guys hungry?" Lue asks. 

"No!" Sham exclaims.

"Yes please," Pete says and sits down, turning on the TV. George claps and makes monkey noises. Lue smiles and goes to the kitchen. Evan kisses Lue's cheek and heads upstairs.

Lue frowns as he leaves but continues making lunch. Evan runs into Nemo on his way down. "Oh. Hey." Nemo turns around. "How are you?"

"Don't like people." He shrugs "Lue is cooking food. How's Patton?"

"Better now."

Evan nods "Cool well bye." Evan heads for his room


	20. Chapter 20

The next few weeks Roman has been working his ass off to change the house. Patton got a big fancy kitchen. There is a speared dining hall for meals and the living room is bigger and has more chairs in it and a few bean bags. The living room walls are covered in family pictures in order of events to show everyone's growth. Roman wanted to add a fireplace but then remembered that Patton has pyrophobia and shut the idea down. The first floor has Logan's new office for his work, a soundproof music studio, a soundproof gaming room with every gaming console made. The gaming room also had its own mini-fridge. There is also the art studio for everyone’s art and an art gallery that anyone can use. The relaxing room got moved down to the first floor. Next to the art studio is a soundproof dance studio.

The second floor is the adult rooms. The third floor is the kid’s rooms. The fourth floor is the garden. The garden is the most peaceful place in the house. No food or drinks are allowed up there and you can only play calming music and nature sounds. There is a glass roof that lets in sunshine or shows the stars at night. It is set the real-life weather, but it will never show dangerous weather.

Everyone seems to like the changes. All activity rooms were downstairs making it the busiest floor but the soundproofing keeps the noise down. The second floor stays mostly the same for Virgil's sake, but Lue's room and Evan's room replace Terra's room and the relaxing room. The third floor stays mostly the same but with just Terra and Sham up there. The fourth floor is the most peaceful for times someone just needs to get away from everything.

Mahaz runs around, now 6, bumping into all the new things. He rubs his head but keeps going. "Papa Ro!" he climbs the stairs on his hands and knees. "Papa Ro!" he runs into someone's legs. He feels their pants, trying to figure out who it is. The material is too silky to be Nemo's jeans or Logan's khakis, and Ori and Terra don't wear pants. "Evy?"

Evan picks him up. "You need a walking stick." Mahaz giggles. "You need Roman for something?"

Mahaz claps and clings to Evan's neck. Lue comes out of his room and sees them. He quickly takes a picture before walking towards them. "That is adorable."

"He needs a walking stick he's going to get all bruise up running into everything."

Lue nods. "I'm sure Roman can do something about that."

"Any idea where he is?"

Lue shrugs. "There are so many places to look now." he rubs his face before walking by and ruffling Mahaz's hair. "Okay. Let's find Papa Ro." he stops and goes back to Roman's room. He knocks. There's no answer. Lue looks around. "I'm so gonna get lost." he pulls out his phone and calls Roman.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Where are you?" Lue asks.

"Art studio."

"Okay. Mahaz wants you. Also, Evan suggested a walking stick for him. He keeps running into everything." Lue gestures for Evan to follow and they head downstairs.

They make it to the art studio Roman putting signs everywhere. Evan opens the door. "Hey." Roman hands Mahaz a walking stick. "What's up little guy?"

Mahaz waves the walking stick around curiously. He feels the length of it and sets it on the ground. He taps it a moment. "Like this." Lue helps him move his hand and guide him. He purposely directs him towards a table and has the stick tap the leg. "Uh oh! There's something there! What are you gonna do?" Mahaz listens for a moment before going back to Roman. Lue slips the leather over Mahaz's wrist, so he doesn't drop the stick. Roman chuckles Evan puts him down.

"Papa Ro!" Mahaz waves his arms around.

Roman picks him up. "Yes?"

"I wan aventuuure!" Mahaz clings to him. "I- I fwight of dwagon witch and- and- save Evy!" Lue giggles.

"No." 

Roman bounces him. "Uh, I'll see what I can do."

Mahaz hums and holds onto Roman. Lue smirks. "All your descendants want to try their hand at the Dragon Witch except Sham and Ori."

"No just Pete." Roman smirks

"Dwagon Witch!" Mahaz claps.

"And him."

"If he gets hurt, you will pay," Evan warns.

Roman sighs "Tell me about it."

Lue raises a brow at Evan. Mahaz continues giggling. "What? Literally, everyone will kick his butt and then some." Lue smirks knowingly and chuckles.

Roman looks at Mahaz. "You ready?"

Mahaz gasps. "Yas!"

"Roman," Evan warns

"I'll watch him don't worry." Roman sinks out with Mahaz.

Lue turns to Evan, still smirking. "I think someone's gotten attached."

"I think someone is looking way to into it. I never said I was on that list."

"Oh, I'm sure." Lue teases and kisses him.

...

Roman and Mahaz raise up. Roman puts him down. "Ok little prince, what are your orders?" Mahaz tilts his head. "The evil dragon witch has been terrorizing the kingdom what should we do?"

"Dwagon Witch!" Mahaz charges, holding his walking stick like a sword. He stumbles over a hole but keeps going.

Roman chuckles. The ground moves around them giving the illusion that they are moving but in reality, they are walking in place. The ground quickly changes into a stone floor. "We are close, my prince." Mahaz stops and listens. There is the sound of a roar. Mahaz gasps and back into Roman's leg. Roman keeps him on his feet. "Stay strong young prince."

Mahaz bites his lip. "I scawrd..."

"It's ok to be scared. Bravery is doing something even when you are scared."

Mahaz holds onto Roman. "Come wit me?"

"Of course." Mahaz holds Roman's hand tightly and starts forward again. The ground moves again to give the illusion that he is moving. Roman opens two creaky doors. Mahaz whimpers. Roman frowns and kneels down. "We don't have to do this. We can do something else." Mahaz nods and clings to his neck. Roman picks him up. Their back to the field with a gentle breeze. Mahaz sighs and leans on him. Roman sits down "Better?"

Mahaz nods. "Papa Ro?"

"Yeah?"

"What... do you look like?"

"Oh well hmm, I have brown eyes, brown hair. I got some muscle. I wear a prince outfit."

Mahaz frowns. "What does brown look like?"

Roman thinks "Oh um brown looks like..." Mahaz looks down and plays with the dirt. Roman rubs his back.

"Why can't I see?"

"Nemo says it is because hope is blind." Mahaz sighs. Roman hugs him.

Mahaz hugs him back. "I love you, Papa Ro."

"I love you too." Roman kisses his head

"I'm hungry." Mahaz giggles.

Roman chuckles "What do you want to eat?"

"Chicken nuggets!" Roman holds Mahaz and stands up. He sinks into the kitchen and puts Mahaz in a chair then summons a plate of chicken nuggets. Mahaz claps happily and starts eating. Roman watches him. Lue and Nico come downstairs, panting and sweaty. Nico grabs two glasses and fills them, handing one to Lue. He takes it from him. "Thanks." Nico nods and chugs his glass before refilling it.

"Dancing?"

Lue nods. "Kpop is hard." He refills his glass. 

Nico chuckles. "You're a fast learner though."

Roman nods "Yeah take it easy for now."

Nico kisses Roman's cheek. "You worry too much."

"I agree with Roman. My legs are dead." Lue laughs.

"I care too much."

Nemo limps down the stairs and goes to the fridge. He grabs an ice pack and holds it to his wing, hissing. "You okay?" Lue asks with concern.

"I'm fine," Nemo says through clenched teeth.

"You sure?" Nico raises a brow.

"Yeah." Nemo starts limping away.

"Nemo," Roman warns

Nemo bites his lip. "You're gonna yell at me..."

"What happened?" Nico crosses his arms. 

"I ran into a tree..."

Nico facepalms. "Can you go one month without getting hurt?"

Roman sighs "You can go, I hope you feel better."

"Thanks." Nemo slowly makes his way up the stairs. 

Lue looks over at the counter. "Are you gonna eat those?" He nods to the abandoned half-empty plate of chicken nuggets.

"They were for Mahaz. Mahaz?" Roman looks around.

There's no answer. Lue claps. "Child search. Yay." He says monotone and heads upstairs. Nico starts checking all the activity rooms. Roman puts his head on the table.

"We really need to teach him to stop doing this." Nico comes out of the dance room and goes into the art room.

"He's a sander alright."

...  
  
Mahaz rises up in Nemo's room. It smells like the ocean. He hesitantly walks around. He remembers the stick and takes it off his wrist, tapping it around like how Lue showed him. He hits something. He carefully walks closer until he's touching cold glossy wood. He tilts his head and finds a chair that rolls under it. He continues exploring the room, unaware of the creatures slithering out of his way. He eventually finds the bed and crawls onto it. He goes to crawl forward when he touches something cold and smooth. It moves away from him. He gasps and falls backward. He slowly gets up and feels around for it until he finds it. He grabs it and it squirms. He gasps again and drops it. The snake coils up. He slowly slides his hand forward until he's touching it again. He slowly pets it and it relaxes. He picks it up and giggles. He feels something flick his nose. He giggles more and cradles it. "Baby Sham." He hears the door open and panics, sinking out.  
  
...  
  
Sham is working on blueprints for his next carving in his room. He hears a crash and looks behind him. "Mahaz?" He stands and goes over to where the child is crawling under bottles of paint. Mahaz starts crying. Sham sighs and picks him up, rocking him. _'Shh... it's okay. Uncle Sham is here.'_ Mahaz sniffles and holds onto him. He pets his scales and Sham relaxes. He carries Mahaz downstairs. "Looking for someone?"

Roman relaxes. "Thanks, oh Mahaz what happened? You're all cover in paint."

"I knocked over my paint shelf." Sham hands Mahaz to him. A white corn snake pokes its head out of Mahaz's shirt.

"Looks like he was in Nemo's room.” Roman takes the snake.

Mahaz whines and reaches for it. "Friend!" Roman gives it back. Mahaz sighs and holds it to his face, petting it. The snake gently wraps around his neck. "Baby Sham."

Sham sighs. "That is a baby me, not a snake." Mahaz looks confused. He makes grabby hands for Sham who steps closer and lets Mahaz touch his scales. Mahaz then points to the snake. "Neither of us have scales. Reptiles do not have scales. I am not half-dragon, so I do not have scales. Snakes aren't reptiles, so they don't have scales either." Mahaz shrugs and continues petting the snake.

Roman bounces Mahaz "Bath time." Mahaz whines. "Come on, you're cover in paint."

Mahaz makes angry noises. Lue comes downstairs. "Oh, you found him." 

Sham takes Mahaz and gives him to Lue. "Nanny Lue Lue."

Lue blinks. "Why are you covered in paint-" Mahaz pats Lue's face with his paint-covered hand. Lue sighs. "Thanks." He bounces him.

"Can you give him a bath?"

"Yeah, sure things." Lue looks back at Mahaz. "Why do you have a snake? What happened in ten minutes?"

"Baby Sham." Mahaz huffs.

"No, that's a snake. Remember? Sham is a person; a snake is an animal."

"Ohhhh..." Mahaz's eyes widen like he just discovered a new planet.

Sham rolls his eyes. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up." Lue tries to take the snake, but Mahaz screams. " _Mahaz_." Lue uses a dad's voice and Mahaz lowers his head. "Papa Ro will take care of your snake, okay?"

"Okay..." Mahaz lets Lue take the snake and give it to Roman. He brings Mahaz to the nursery.

Sham sighs. "Time to leave my room a mess." He heads back upstairs. He passes Nico. "We didn't find him."

"Oh good." Nico smiles.

"He likes snakes." Roman holds the snake up.

Nico chuckles. "Nemo has convinced another."

Roman chuckles "Here take this back for me."

"Okay." Nico takes the snake and heads upstairs. He knocks on Nemo's door.

"Come in."

Nico opens the door and shows him the snake. "Apparently Mahaz visited and there was a stowaway."

Nemo smirks from his bed, though he looks exhausted. "Just set him on the floor." 

Nico sets it down and goes to him. "You okay?"

"Eh... Yeah just hurts."

"Pain killers?"

"Already got some. I just need to rest." Nemo closes his eyes.

Nico nods. "If you need anything, let us know."

"I will. Thanks." Nico heads out and closes the door behind him.


	21. Chapter 21

There's a knock on the door. "Lokoi?" Lue's voice calls. Lokoi remains sound asleep. Lue cracks the door open and enters. He goes to the bed and pet Lokoi's hair. Lokoi hums. "Hey... Breakfast is ready." Lue whispers and kisses their head.

"Mmm... Five more minutes..."

Sham pokes his head in Lue waves him away, and Sham leaves. "Come on, sweetie. I there's something I need to show you." 

Lokoi blinks and yawns. "Daddy?"

Lue smiles softly. "Yeah. Come on." He picks them up and holds them protectively. 

Lokoi looks around as they head downstairs and gasp. "Where are we?"

"The light side. Roman did some house maintenance." They arrive in the dining room. 

Nemo looks up and smiles. "Hey, Lokoi."

Lokoi gasps. "NEMO!"

"Hey, they actually said your name right," Virgil smirks despite the reality of how many people there are now settling in. Lue sets Lokoi down in a new chair Roman summoned. He sits down next to them, Evan on Lokoi's other side.

Logan stares at Lokoi. _'Why is he here? Did I do something wrong? Did I fail? What is happening? Why are they all coming up? Am I going back down? I can't I'm needed; they need me, I can't... I can't... I can't breathe.'_ Logan shakes and gasps.

Nemo glances at Logan as does Virgil. Virgil locks eyes with Nemo who nods and picks up Logan, sinking out with him. They rise up in Nemo's room. "Shh... Breathe." He rocks him.

Logan gasps "I-I."

"Shh... breathe. Follow me." Nemo starts the breathing exercise. "It's okay. Tell me what you're thinking."

Logan continues to gasp and shake. "failed, bad, wrong, all wrong, can't-"

"Logan, look at me." Nemo looks into Logan's eyes. "Breathe in." He counts to four. "Hold." He counts to seven. "Out." He counts to eight. "You haven't failed, and you've done nothing wrong. Just breathe with me." Logan breaths with him. A few minutes later he calms down and leans on Nemo. Nemo continues to pet him. "You're okay." He whispers. "You're not going back down. I promise. I've got you. You're not going anywhere. You haven't failed, I think Thomas is just growing..."

"Insane?"

"No. No, he's growing to accept himself, all of himself instead of suppressing the parts he doesn't like."

"But sloth... and what about the grey sides?"

"Sloth hasn't shown he is trustworthy, so if he comes up, we'll send him back, no questions asked. And the gray sides are the weaker sides of Thomas. Nico didn't come until he was needed. I believe that if they are needed, they will be formed. For now, let's not worry about them, okay?"

"So many people." 

"I know. Virgil feels it too." Nemo rubs his back and tries to think. "Would it be easier if we weren't all at the same table?"

Logan shakes his head. "I just need a minute." Logan rubs his face. "Can you get Virgil? I need him." 

Nemo nods and sinks out. He rises in the dining room. Virgil looks at him, and Nemo gives him an upside-down peace sign. "My room." Virgil stands and sinks out while Nemo sits down. 

Virgil rises in Nemo's room. "Hey." He goes to Logan. Logan holds him. Virgil massages his head.

Logan relaxes "I don't like this." 

"I know."

"I don't know what to do." 

Virgil continues to rock him. "I don't either." He admits.

Logan closes his eyes. "Nemo thinks Thomas is accepting all the parts of himself but..."

"But?"

"I don't know." Logan admits, "and I hate not knowing." 

Virgil kisses his head. "We'll figure it out."

...  
  
“Is Logan okay?” Lue asks.   


“I’m under oath of silence.” Nemo states and eats.

"I'm sure he will pull through," Patton assures

Lokoi frowns. “Is it me?” Lue glances at him then Nemo who looks down. 

“Fourteen people is a lot for Virgil and Logan,” Nemo says.

"Logan just needs his space," Roman assures.

“We’re glad you’re here. It’s just gonna take some time for everyone to adjust.” Nico smiles at them. Lokoi smiles back and continues eating. 

‘Thank you.’ Lue mouths and Nico nods.

George looks at Lokoi. "We can play after breakfast!"

Lokoi claps excitedly. “Okay!”

“Where’d Pete go?” Nico asks. 

“She visits Raven,” George says.

"Raven might come up here too if this continues." Patton points out.

Nemo nods. “I’m concerned...”

"Yeah... I might need to make more changes to the house."

“Who Lokoi?” Mahaz looks around. 

“I’m Lokoi!” They say. 

“He’s blind. Here.” Lue gets up and walks around the table. He picks up Mahaz and brings him over to Lokoi. “Don’t drop him.” He sets him on their lap and stands close. Lokoi giggles as Mahaz reaches around, tugging on his shirt. “Usually they wear a lab coat, but it’s morning.” Lue smiles softly. 

“They?” Mahaz questions. 

“Lokoi is non-binary, so they go by they/them. Like how you and I are he/him and your mom is she/her.” Lue explains. 

“Ohhh...” Mahaz reaches up and touches Lokoi’s face. 

Lokoi giggles. “That tickles.”

"He is getting to know you." Roman smirks

“Why are you blind?” Lokoi asks. 

“Papa Ro said Memeo said hope is blind.” Mahaz pouts but continues playing with Lokoi’s hair. Nemo sighs Roman bites his lip. Nemo pulls out his phone. 

“Okay, you should finish breakfast,” Lue says and picks Mahaz up, bringing him back to his seat. He goes back to his chair and eats. 

“I want to clarify what I was trying to say.” Nemo starts. “I meant that some people say hope is blind, but I don’t believe that.” He looks at Mahaz, though he knows he can’t see him. “I want to read something to you, and I hope you remember it.” Nico smiles softly at Nemo. “Hope is not blind optimism. It's not ignoring the enormity of the task ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. It's not sitting on the sidelines or shirking from a fight. Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it, and to work for it, and to fight for it. Hope is the belief that destiny will not be written for us, but by us, by the men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is, who have the courage to remake the world as it should be.” 

Nemo reads then puts his phone away. “That was Barack Obama.” He looks to Mahaz again before getting up and going to him, holding his hand. “You being physically blind is not a curse. It is a blessing. It means your other senses are stronger than ours, and you pick up on things that we don’t. It may be difficult, but you persevere and watching you succeed gives others hope as well.” He gives Mahaz’s hand a squeeze who smiles and hugs him. Patton awws Nemo closes his eyes and rubs Mahaz’s back. “I love you, Mahaz. We’re here for you.”

“I love you too, Memeo.” Mahaz clings to him.

Roman chuckles "Everyone loves Everyone. In this family is no one gets left behind or forgotten."

Nico smiles at Roman. "That's right." Nemo sets Mahaz back down and goes back to his seat. A few minutes later, Logan and Virgil come back down and take their seats. Nemo looks at Virgil who gives a small nod. Virgil starts eating again.

Patton looks around the table. "I don't think we should keep having family meals."

Roman looks at Patton. "Why?"

"Because there is just so many of us now, and I count four people who are uncomfortable right now being around so many people at once."

Nemo bites his lip but nods. Lokoi looks around and frowns. He looks to Lue who squeezes his hand. “That’s fine,” Lue assures. 

“Or we could do it cafeteria style.” Nico offers.

"No, I think it would be better just to have everyone choose when they want to eat. We can have family meals on special occasions." Patton offers Nemo looks down. Lue watches him and bites back a sigh. "Nemo?" Patton frowns

“We can try it. See how it works out.” Nemo says and goes back to eating. Patton nods and goes back to eating.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This would have been the start of the next story but I'm being lazy because it's only a hundred pages long I'm adding it to this one so sorry for the weird start just keep reading and it will make sense soon enough.

Logan paces his room. "I'm fine, everything is fine. it's not like he won't be back. Being upset would honestly not be logical. It's not that he was in pain and I was powerless to stop it. It's not like I failed to protect him. Yup completely illogical to be upset. He's just resting. No reason to cry or be upset." tears in his eyes. Nemo enters his room with a frown and hugs him. Logan cries on his shoulder. "Why does it hurt so much? It's not like he's gone. You think we would be used to this."

Nemo rocks him and closes his eyes. “Because you didn’t expect it. It came out of nowhere and knocked you off your feet.”

"I should have, I was right there. I should have done _something_."

“There was nothing to be done... Virgil would have rather died than you get hurt.”

Logan sobs _'This is illogical he will be back. but I miss him! This is nothing new, he will come back in 3 days. You don't get it! He suffered for us. He would want us to move on.’_ Logan grips Nemo's shirt.

Nemo sinks them out to his domain. He continues rocking Logan. “It’s not illogical. He is your support and suddenly he’s gone. You’re lost and you miss him and that is perfectly normal. Yes, he will be back in three days, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt. You’re still human.”

Logan shakes "It still hurts."

“I know.” Nemo starts humming a tune, tears filling his eyes and he closes them. Logan tries to listen to him as he replays the event in his mind.

...

_Earlier that day._

"It was nice of everyone to give us a day off." Logan backs his bag glancing at Virgil who doubles, and triple checks the supplies.

“Yeah.” Virgil agrees and picks up the bags.

Logan thinks "Maybe I should leave Logic behind. In case the others need me."

“No. We’re taking a break.” Virgil takes his hand and starts dragging him down the trail.

Logan smirks "Alright Virgil." Logan follows his lead.

Logan looks at his watch. "We should get to the camping site in half an hour. Once we set up, I would like to go bird watching. After that, we can eat dinner then watch the stars. Is there anything you want to do on this trip?"

"Whatever you want to do." Virgil smiles.

"What if I want to do what you want to do?" Logan smirks back.

Virgil rolls his eyes. "What if the same is true for me?"

"Well, then we are in a loop." Virgil giggles. Logan smiles sweetly. "Ok, you win." Logan holds his hand and kisses it. Virgil kisses his cheek. They soon make it to the site and set up. Logan looks at the sunset. "It is a beautiful day."

"Yup." Virgil checks again to make sure they didn't lose any of their supplies. "Stargazing tonight and bird watching tomorrow? It's getting late already."

"Yeah, that was what I was thinking. Dinner?" Virgil nods and starts cooking. "Are you going to tell me what our mystery dinner is now?" He smirks Virgil locks eyes with him wearing the smuggest grin ever. He pulls out a bag of steaks and starts laying them on the grill over the fire. They sizzle. Logan looks at Virgil. "I love you."

"I love you too, Star." Virgil giggles and focuses on cooking.

Virgil and Logan sit at a picnic table with a candle between them lighting it with steaks on their plates as they sit under the stars. "This is extremely romantic Virgil, Roman would be proud."

Virgil beams happily. "You like it?"

"Well let’s see. I'm outside under the stars with the love of my life eating my favorite meal. I think 'like it' is an understatement." Logan smirks Virgil giggles and continues eating. Logan looks at Virgil lovingly. He eats his steak, cooked the way he likes it. Virgil really knows him. Virgil finishes his steak and looks up at the stars. They shine brightly, glittering in the night sky. Logan sets up his telescope. "Clear night, perfect." Virgil quickly cleans up dinner before coming to sit next to Logan. Logan writes some notes down in his notebook then looks at Virgil. He looks back at the sky. He lays down in the grass. "Care to do it the old way?"

Virgil smiles and snuggles up to him, watching the sky. "Not at all."

Logan holds his hand. "This is nice. Just you and me, quiet and peaceful." Virgil nods and sighs contently. Logan rests his head on Virgil. He watches the stars the is a shooting star.

_'Guilty.'_ Virgil hears and frowns. He glances at Logan then back up at the stars. _'Reset.'_

"You know the belief that shooting stars grant wishes dates back to around AD 127-151 when Greek astronomer Ptolemy wrote that occasionally, out of curiosity or even boredom, the Gods peer down at the earth from between the spheres. He stated that while this happens, stars sometimes slip out of this gap, flashing towards the earth. Shooting stars are hence an indication that the Gods are now paying attention to whatever you would ask for."

"Huh. Interesting."

Logan shrugs "I believe that if you want something you need to work for it. I don't really believe in wishing."

"Yeah..." Virgil snuggles closer to Logan and closes his eyes. He holds his tie, breathing in his scent.

Logan holds him. "If you could wish for something and it would come true what would you want?"

Virgil thinks for a moment. "For things to go back to the way they were. When it was just the six of us. And it was quiet and safe..."

"Six?"

"You, me, Patmo and Romico."

"No George?" He smirks

Virgil sighs. "I love George too. Ugh, I don't know. Okay, seven. But Terra, Sham, and the girls..." his grip on Logan's tie tightens.

"I get the idea; I love everyone but it’s just too much. Every week something seems to go wrong, but right now it’s just you, me and the stars. Let's enjoy it."

Virgil sighs again. "Okay..."

Logan kisses his head. "Thank you for dragging me out here."

Virgil chuckles. "You're welcome. I love you."

"I love you more than anything in the Galaxy."

Virgil giggles and nuzzles him. "I love you more than anything in the universe."

"Well, I can't beat that." Logan smirks "You know we are all one big family, but they have smaller families in that one. You, me and George. Roman, Nico, Pete, and Ori. Patton, Nemo, Sham, and Terra. Lue, Evan, Lokoi, and Raven. What if instead of trying to fit all of us in one house we have multiple houses? Or an apartment building. For the smaller family groups."

Virgil nods slowly. "Yeah... I like the apartment idea..."

"It would give us all our own space instead of this crowd mess, but we are still together."

Virgil nods. "I like it. We can ask Roman when we get back." he kisses Logan gently. Logan kisses him back. Virgil relaxes and closes his eyes, laying back down. "I think I'm gonna sleep now..."

"Ok Love."

...

Sloth quietly steps around the campsite looking at Logan before settling on Virgil. He looks up at Revenge, eyes tinted red. "You know I wouldn't have to possess this pitiful form if your sister would just let me have access to the mind."

"I can't control my sister. So, this is the one who's been causing all the trouble...?" Revenge asks. Sloth grins and nods. Revenge picks Virgil up, careful to not wake Logan. "Let's go, Malice."

Sloth follows her as they walk into the forest. Virgil frowns in his sleep and blinks, feeling himself being carried. He sees Sloth and tries to scream, but he's gagged. Sloth chuckles. "He's awake."

"Lovely." Revenge throws him down. Virgil tries to run but his arms and legs are tied. He looks around with scared eyes.

"Going somewhere?" Sloth purrs and circles him. Virgil sees his eyes and grows even more afraid. Sloth chuckles and summons a knife. "Such a runt." he starts towards Virgil who shakes. The knife finds its place in Virgil's arm and he screams through the gag. He kicks and thrashes, rolling away from his attackers. He looks up, eyes glowing.

"Oh no, you don't." Revenge shoots him with a dart. Virgil whimpers and shakes his head, losing fight or flight. "You have been a pain in the ass, causing Thomas anxiety for no reason."

Sloth laughs menacingly. "We should put you down..." Virgil continues trying to crawl away, but Sloth steps on his back. Virgil desperately squirms, fighting back tears. It hurts. It hurts so much, and he can't go into fight or flight and he doesn't know why and panic, panic, PANIC! The knife finds its way through his back and he tries to scream again. Revenge lifts his face only to punch him, breaking his nose.

"Virgil!?" Logan's voice calls out.

Virgil looks up and screams weakly against the gag as he continues getting beaten up. Sloth summons a gun. "Think a few days without Anxiety would do some good?" he looks at Revenge who nods.

Logan comes into view "VIRGIL!"

Virgil looks up at him, eyes full of fear. "Say goodbye Logic." Sloth places the gun to Virgil's chest.

"NO STOP!" Logan takes a step forward.

_BANG!_

Virgil's eyes widen and he shakes. His strength gives and he falls to the ground. Tears fill Logan's eyes. He runs over. "VIRGIL!" Sloth smirks and sinks out. Revenge disappears. Virgil coughs and weakly tries to get the gag off. Logan pulls it off. "No, no, no, no." he looks at Virgil’s wound.

Blood has already soaked through his shirt and hoodie. Virgil continues coughing, a trail of blood leaving the corner of his mouth. He looks to Logan tiredly. "I'm- I'm sorry-"

"Virgil I-I" he shakes his head and holds him. "Please, I can't."

"I- I couldn't-" tears fall from his eyes. "I couldn't- fight or flight- s-sorry-"

Logan shakes his head. "Stop talking, maybe I can..." he wipes his eyes.

Virgil's trembling grows more violent. "I- I love- you-" he stills, eyes glazing over.

"Virgil please, Virgil!" Virgil goes limp Logan shakes him. "Virgil? VIRGIL!" Logan shakes and wails. Logan holds him close. "God why?" Virgil disappears leaving only his blood jacket. Logan holds it. He looks up and sees the gun. He growls "Sloth" he puts Virgil’s jacket on and stands up. He wipes his eyes and sinks out. He rises in Sloth's room.

Sloth is on the couch, whining and holding his head. Logan raises the gun at him and readies it making a clicking sound. Logan raises the gun at him and readies it making a clicking sound. Sloth looks up with scared eyes and curls into himself, still looking in pain. He throws up. Logan growls and shoots him in the leg. Sloth screams and chokes on new vomit. He covers his mouth and cries. Revenge prowls the room, invisible to both of them. Logan cocks the gun. "You are pathetic. You really think I was going to let you get away with it!?"

Sloth shakes. “It wasn’t- I didn’t!”

"DON'T LIE TO ME! I SAW YOU!" He aims at his head.

Sloth winces and sobs. “I d-didn’t want to! H-He m-made me!”

"Who?" He grips the gun.

“M-Malice...” Logan's eyes go wide. He growls and shoots Sloth killing him. He takes the slot out and throws the gun in frustration.

“Why so upset?” He hears a female voice.

"Who's there?" Logan looks around.

“It felt good didn’t it?” Logan looks around. He sinks out to his room and flops on his bed not caring about the blood.

... 

Nemo goes down the hall towards the stairs when he catches sight of Virgil’s door. His heart stops. “What- no- how...?” He looks around with wide eyes and goes to Logan’s room. He gently knocks. There is no response. Nemo peeks in. He sees Logan on the bed wearing Virgil’s jacket. He walks over and hugs him.

...

_Present_

Logan leans on Nemo hugging Virgil's bloodstain jacket. Nemo keeps him close, watching the waves and still humming. "Why did he do it?"

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Nemo vows.

"He did something to him, kept him from going into flight or fight."

Nemo frowns deeply. “I’ll figure it out. It won’t happen again.”

Logan sighs and grips the jacket. "Don't, I can't lose you too."

Nemo rubs his back. “You won’t. I promise. But you and Virgil are my best friends and I need to know why Malice would kill him.”

"There was someone else. A girl, she didn't say anything."

Nemo’s eyes narrow. “What did she look like?”

Logan thinks "Red shirt, black corset and pants, utility belt with various weapons, and braided black hair." Nemo nods slowly. Logan rubs his head. "Don't do anything stupid."

“I won’t.”

"I'm serious just leave it alone." Nemo frowns. He holds Logan tightly. "Promise me you won't go after Malice or that girl." Nemo opens his mouth, but nothing is heard. "Nemo please." Logan looks at him "I can't lose you too. Just wait or something I don't care but let it go." Nemo closes his eyes. He tries to speak again but still nothing. Logan frowns and holds him.

Nemo sighs. “What if we try together?”

"No Nemo I can't fight, and you will lose."

“No, I won’t. I don’t want revenge; I just want to know why.” Nemo hesitates. “And how...”

"It's Malice."

“He never killed Virgil before. Why now?”

"I don't know." Logan looks down and grips Nemo's shirt.

Nemo massages his head and closes his eyes. “I’ll wait...”

"Thank you." Nemo nods. "Do the others know?"

“I haven’t told anyone...”

"I'm going to rest."

“Okay.” Nemo lets him go. “I’ll bring you breakfast if you’d like?”

"Ok." Logan sinks out. Nemo stands and brushes the sand off himself before sinking into the kitchen. Patton hums as he cooks pancakes.

Nemo bites his lip. “Hey...”

Patton looks up and quickly frowns "What's wrong?"

“Malice killed Virgil.”

Patton drops his spoon. "What."

“Malice possessed Sloth and killed Virgil last night while they were in the Imagination. Logan said there was a girl there too.”

"A girl... Justice?"

“No. He said red shirt, black corset, and pants, utility belt with weapons, black hair. Definitely not Justice.”

Patton nods slowly still processing. "Logan?"

“Begging me to not do anything stupid.” Nemo leans against the counter.

"He's probably scared." Patton looks down.

Nemo nods. “I tried to explain I want answers, not revenge-“ he stops mid-sentence. Patton looks at him. “Revenge...” Nemo whispers. Patton tilts his head. Nemo looks up. “The girl... I think it was Revenge.”

"Why would Malice and Revenge kill Virgil?"

“I don’t know.” Nemo sighs.

“Maybe because it was necessary.” Nemo jumps and turns. The same girl Logan described stands just outside the kitchen. Patton stands in front of Nemo.

“Why would killing my best friend be necessary!?” Nemo clenches his fists.

“Wasn’t cutting your wings necessary?” Revenge smirks. Nemo’s wings involuntarily curl around himself.

Patton glares at her. "Leave my family alone."

Revenge tuts. “Nico was right. You all are so blinded by emotions. That’s why you need me.” Patton growls

Nemo’s eyes shift between Patton and Revenge. “Why did you and Malice kill Virgil and how was Malice able to possess Sloth?”

“How do you think? Sloth is weak.”

“Then why not just show up like you do?” Nemo asks.

“Because he’s suppressed. My sister and Condemnation are the strongest of us. They rule in joint monarchy. My sister keeps Malice under lock and key, but Condemnation allowed him a bit of freedom to complete our mission.”

“To kill Virgil.” Nemo states.

“To give Thomas a break from Anxiety. Sorry, your friend was in the crossfire.”

“We are more than our traits,” Nemo says.

“And yet your traits are still who you are. Did you ever wonder why the gray sides go by their trait name?” Revenge raises a brow.

“Yes.”

“Because that’s who we are. Everything is black and white. Anxiety was causing harm to Thomas.”

“There’s been a lot of changes. Of course, Virgil is anxious.”

“That doesn’t excuse the fact.” Revenge says.

"We work to fix the problem peacefully. We just don't kill them!"

“And how’s that been working for you?” Revenge looks at Patton. Nemo opens his mouth then hesitates and closes it.

"Just leave us alone. Killing Virgil won't stop Thomas anxiety."

“It will lessen it.” Revenge huffs. “There’s no use with any of you. Especially you.” She looks at Nemo. He growls lowly, hate filling his eyes. Revenge grins. “See ya around.” She disappears.

Patton growls then goes back into the kitchen. "She has some nerve coming here and talking to us like that."

“Agreed.” Nemo sits down and taps his fingers on the table, still looking angry.

Nico comes down and sees Nemo. He frowns slightly and glances at Patton. “Hey, guys.”

"Virgil is dead." Patton focuses on the stove.

Nico blinks. “What?”

“Malice possessed Sloth and he and Revenge killed Virgil in the Imagination,” Nemo says, finger drumming becoming harsher.

Nico’s eyes narrow. “How long ago?”

“Last night,” Nemo says. “Revenge just visited,” Nico growls and sinks out. Patton focuses on breakfast.


	23. Chapter 23

Nico rises up in Sloth’s room, but it’s gray and lifeless. She blinks in confusion then frowns. “Malice must have killed him when he was done... but why?” She sinks back into her room.

...

Nemo takes a plate up to Logan and knocks on the door. “It’s Nemo.” Logan opens the door.

"Thanks." Logan takes it.

“Yeah.” Nemo has the ‘Im gonna do something stupid’ look.

"Nemo." Logan gives him a warning look.

“What?”

"You have that look."

“What look?”

"The 'Im going to do something stupid' look. What are you planning?"

“I don’t have a plan.” Nemo tries to wipe the look off but fails.

"Did something happen?" Logan shakes his head "What Happened?"

Nemo looks down and clenches his fist. “Revenge visited.”

Logan frowns and takes his hand. "Calm down." Nemo closes his eyes, knuckles turning white. Logan rubs his hand.

Nemo feels heat flooding him, his heart racing like a war drum. _‘Anger isn’t something you feel often... is it?’_ Revenge’s voice echoes.

“Get out of my head,” Nemo says gruffly.

"Nemo?"

“I need to kill her.” Nemo opens his eyes filled with fury and locks onto Logan’s.

"You can't, she is a gray side. They can't be killed. Nemo please, you promise me." Logan holds his hands tight.

Nemo looks down again, shaking. “She can’t get away with this...”

"I know but please you can't win this fight."

Nemo pulls away. “Yes, I can.” He sinks out.

"Nemo!" Logan sinks to the subscape.

Nemo’s there, shouting. “MALICE! REVENGE!”

"Nemo!" Logan runs to him.

Nemo turns. “What!?” He growls.

"Please, this won't solve anything."

“Oh, but it did for you.” Nemo turns and sees Revenge behind him. He summons his sword.

Logan grabs his arm. "Nemo please you promise!” Nemo pulls away. He goes to strike down Revenge, but she simply kicks him in the stomach, sending him flying and knocking the wind out of him. Logan runs to him. He looks at revenge before holding Nemo tightly and sinking out to the relaxing room. Nemo coughs and winces, holding his stomach. Logan doesn't let him go.

Nemo squirms, trying to getaway. “Let go!”

"No! I won't let you get yourself killed."

“I’m not going to!” Nemo grunts and squirms. “She needs to pay!”

"Your revenge is only making her stronger." Nemo stops, panting. He starts fighting Logan’s grip again with more vigor. "Nemo!" Logan pins him down and pinches his neck. Nemo goes out cold. Logan pants and sits up. "Sorry but I'm not losing you too." Logan lays down on the floor. The room turns into Virgil's room. Logan sighs the bed form's under Nemo and raises to normal height. Logan tucks him in and sits in a bean bag chair. He looks up and sees the small cat Roman made that one Christmas. He picks it up and holds it.

...

Nemo wakes up a few hours later and groans. Logan looks at him. "Sorry..."

Nemo rolls his head over towards him, looking confused. “What...?” He looks around. “Why are we in Virgil’s room?” He sits up. “Why is it bright? How long has it been?” He stands up and walks the perimeter of the room.

"Actually, we are in the relaxing room. You tried to attack Revenge, so I knocked you out." Logan fidgets with the cat plush.

“O-oh.” Nemo stops at the bookshelf. He turns and looks at Logan with the cat plushie, then walks back to the bed. He crawls under it and finds the old snake plushie. He grabs it and curls up under the bed. He extends his wing in offering. “Wanna join?”

"No thank you."

“Okay.” Nemo pulls his wing back and remains cocooned under the bed. He fingers the patches on the snake plushie, all carefully sewn. ‘ _This is her fault. Her and Malice. They keep hurting us and getting away with it.’_ He sets the plushie down. _‘Someone has to stop them.’_ He sinks out. Logan doesn't notice him leave.

... 

Nemo rises up in the subscape. “Malice! Revenge!” He waits a moment before two figures walk out of the fog.

“Back for seconds?” Revenge smirks. Nemo summons his sword and stands his ground.

Malice looks almost impressed. “What did you do to him?”

“Nothing. Much...” Revenge grins. “But you should know Truth that two against one isn’t exactly fair...”

“I don’t care.” Nemo growls and charges. Revenge blocks him while Malice grabs his wing and yanks him away from her. Nemo goes to stab Malice and Revenge grabs his other wing. She knocks Nemo’s sword out of his hand, the two of them holding Nemo by his wings. Nemo hisses and tries to shake them off.

“Oh, Malice. Knives seem to work well.” Revenge summons one. Nemo’s eyes widen and he tries to yank his wing back, but she holds it still. He feels pain explode from the wing Malice is holding and screams, just as Revenge stabs his wing as well. He flaps his wings hard, knocking them back.

“Now Nemo, that’s no fun.” Malice tuts and stands.

Nemo holds his wings close to himself. “Come on. We killed your friend. Don’t you want to taste some sweet revenge...?” Revenge purrs. Nemo glares at them and growls. He charges and takes Revenge down, going to punch her but she grabs his fist and twists his arm. He screams. “You’ll have to earn it.” She taunts.

Malice kicks Nemo in the back, sending him down. He grabs Nemo’s wing and throws him. Nemo lands and rolls like a rag doll. He coughs and groans, trying to pull himself back up. He manages to shakily stand. “So energetic.” Malice comments and punches him before he has a chance to react. Nemo falls back down, coughing.

“Anger is a good look on him.” Revenge chuckles. “Shall we put him out of his misery?” She asks while Nemo shakes.

“Nah. Let’s play with him some more. I haven’t had this much fun in forever.” Malice laughs.

Nemo looks back up at them tiredly. His body protests but he pulls himself back up again. He takes a ready stance, blood dripping from his broken nose. “I could do this all day.” He swings.

...

It’s been fifteen minutes and Nemo hasn’t said anything or moved from under the bed. Logan looks over "Shit." He sinks out to the subscape. "Nemo!"

Nemo is getting beaten and kicked by Malice and Revenge. “Come on birdy. Let’s playyyy!” Malice laughs. Nemo lets out another scream and kicks Malice’s shin. “FUCK!”

Nemo gets up and slips away before being tackled by Revenge. She punches him again and he retaliates blindly. She stands and flips him over her shoulder, landing on his wing. He screams loudly and punches her. Logan watches and summons the gun. He tries to shoot Malice. The bullet simply passes through and Malice laughs at Logan before getting tackled by Nemo. Malice throws him off and Revenge restrains him. Malice kicks him in the groin and Nemo screams and returns the favor. Malice falls again and Revenge tuts. “Weak.” She tosses Nemo to the side.

Malice looks up. “WHAT DID YOU FUCKING SAY!?” Nemo scrambles up, glaring at Revenge and Malice. He pants and charges them, summoning his throwing knives. They simply pass through them. Revenge rolls her eyes and picks one up, throwing it at Nemo. He throws another at it, knocking it off course and saving himself.

Logan shakes _'No, no, no I can't win.'_ He tries to move to save Nemo, but he can't. He just can't. _'I can't save him. I can't fight.'_

“Maybe I should cut your wings off again?” Revenge taunts. Nemo takes her down, but she stabs his already dislocated wing. Nemo screams weakly and hits her repeatedly, though he’s quickly losing strength and blood. He can’t see, tears keeping his eyes shut. He thrashes violently and screams in desperation.

There is a bright light and Revenge is thrown off of Nemo. Justice stands by him protectively. “Go back now.” She growls and looks between Revenge and Malice. They both simply laugh and approach her.

“You can’t stop us.” Malice taunts.

“Actually, I can.” There is a flash and Malice is gone. Justice looks at Revenge. “Sister.”

“Annoying pain in the ass.” Revenge holds her gaze. “It wasn’t MY fault! He attacked me!”

Justice takes a step forward. “Go. Back. Home.” Revenge grumbles and disappears.

Logan gasps letting go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. He runs over "Nemo." Nemo rolls onto his side, keeping his one good wing over himself protectively. He’s covered in bruises and bleeding from his wings and nose. He cries tiredly. Justice kneels down and summons supplies for Logan. She takes a cloth and starts wiping at the blood. Nemo winces and whines. He tries to move his other wing but can’t. It’s swollen and laying at a bad angle. Logan looks at him and freezes again. _'I couldn't, I didn't, I can't.'_

“She... needed to pay...” Nemo coughs. “They both did...”

“You got beat up more than them combined,” Justice states and continues cleaning him up.

"I don't" _'can't breathe'_ Logan gasps and shakes.

Justice looks up. “Logan?” Nemo looks up and tries to reach a hand towards him, but his body won’t respond. His head falls back down.

“I’m sorry... I didn’t... listen...” Nemo whispers.

Logan shakes tears filling his eyes. "Can't" he stops breathing.

“L-Logan...” Nemo goes limp.

Justice looks between them. She takes Logan’s hand. “Logan breathe.”

Logan grips his hair. _'Get a hold of yourself. I can't this is too much. Nemo needs us. We failed him. I don't have time for this.'_ There is a flash and a second Logan falls put wearing Virgil's jacket passed out. Logic pulls his hand back and starts working on Nemo. Justice blinks but doesn’t ask. They get Nemo as bandaged as possible, but his wings are still bleeding.

“I can’t find where it’s coming from,” Justice says and searches through his feathers.

Logic looks as well. "Blast it all. He never listens."

Nemo whimpers, still out. Justice frowns. “Get him to his room.”

Logic holds him and sinks out. Nemo on the floor of his room. "Sadly, I can't lift him." Logic frowns "He needs a blood transfusion." He summons the needle.

Justice snaps her fingers and Nemo disappears from the floor and appears on his bed. “His wings swollen...” she comments.

"Do everything you can. I don't care if you have to pluck all his feathers just stop the bleeding and wrap that wing." Logic sticks the needles in. Justice frowns deeply and summons more towels, putting pressure on the bleeding from his swollen wing. Nemo whines and cries into his bed. "This wouldn't have happened if he just listened to me."

“There’s nothing to do now except wait,” Justice says.

Logic sighs he rubs his face. "Where were you? Why did it take so long?"

“I was... busy.” Justice looks down.

"Too busy to stop them from killing Virgil and beating the shit put of Nemo?"

“I’m not the most powerful of us.”

Logan sighs "Oh can you go get basis before something bad happens." Justice snaps her fingers and Bias appears on the floor. "Thank you." Logic ignores him for the most part.

“Yeah.” Justice stands. “You have him stabilized?”

"I got it from here." Nemo groans and opens his eyes. Justice disappears.

Logic looks at him. "You are an ignoramus."

Nemo blinks. “A what?” His voice is hoarse.

"An idiot."

Nemo closes his eyes. “Yeah... I know.”

Logic sighs "Scolding you isn't going to help."

Nemo grips the sheets. “My wing is killing me.”

"It's severely swollen." He summons a bottle of pain killers.

Nemo tries to lift it and whimpers. “I think it’s broken...”

"Not surprised don't move it." He hands him two pills.

Nemo shakes his head. “Just do an IV. Tylenol isn’t gonna do anything.” He groans and closes his eyes. Logic nods and summons it. He sets it up. Nemo offers his arm, breathing deeply. “I became him...”

Logic sticks the needle in. "Who?'

“Again. Malice. I became what I feared again...” Nemo sounds lost.

"You didn't become anyone."

Nemo groans. “Nevermind. I’ll wait for Bias.”

"He's out cold."

Nemo frowns and crawls to the edge of the bed to peer over. He reaches it, breathing heavy, and sees Bias on the floor. “Why?”

Logic pulls him back. "Panic attack."

Nemo winces and freezes in pain. “Ah-“

"Don't move much." Logic let's go of him.

Nemo whines. “K-kay.” He closes his eyes Logic rubs his head. Nemo sighs. “I’m so sorry...”

"How about listening next time. Bias really cares about you and with Virgil gone, he really needs you. God knows I can't calm him down." Logic shakes his head.

“I don’t know why I didn’t...”

"Doesn't matter now just rest." Nemo gives up and let’s sleep take him. Logic closes his eyes.


	24. Chapter 24

“So?” Lue asks as Nico comes downstairs.

“He’s not stopping till he peaks.” He sighs.

“Logan?”

“I don’t know.” Nico shrugs. “Haven’t seen him. Or Nemo...” he frowns. Patton and Terra are passed out on the couch Patton holding him as they are cover in ink but don't look to be in danger. Nico looks at them and frowns. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. I came down and found them like this. I’m staying here till they wake up.” Lue says from the recliner.

Pete comes downstairs looking butt whooped. Nico looks at her. “Pete? What happened?”

“Dunno but someone pushed themselves way past their limits.” She goes to the kitchen to grab a snack. Terra's eyes snap open and he shoots up looking around panic and twitching.

Lue stands. “Terra?” Nico looks over and moves closer. Terra screams

Nico and Lue give him space. Pete comes out. “Terra... it’s us. We won’t hurt you.” Patton jumps awake. He holds Terra who quickly relaxes and leans on Patton.

Nico frowns. “What’s happening?”

"Terra is next in line for Virgil's job and he's not taking it well." Patton looks extremely tired. Terra holds onto him tightly.

“You’re taking his fear and bottling it,” Nico says. Pete takes Terra and Patton’s hands. Terra flinches and pulls his hand back. Pete frowns but continues giving Patton energy.

Patton relaxes "Thanks. It's ok Terra she just wants to help." Terra looks at her and slowly takes her hand gently. Pete smiles at him and gives him energy as well, though she’s starting to feel tired.

“Have either of you seen Nemo or Logan?” Nico asks.

"Not since breakfast. Nemo went to give him a plate and never came back down. I wanted to go looking for him, but Terra needs me."

**"Their dead, just like Virgil**." Terra shakes and grips Pete's hand. Patton rubs his back.

"They're not dead." Terra calms down.

Pete frowns and closes her eyes, resting her head on the couch. Nico looks concerned. “Pete?”

“I’m okay.”

Lue looks up the stairs. “I’ll look for them.” He heads up and checks Logan’s room first, but there’s no one there. He goes to Nemo’s and knocks. No response Lue cracks open the door. Bias is unconscious on the floor Nemo is asleep on his bed hook up to an IV and Logic who is also unconscious and pale. Lue's eyes widen. He steps in and looks between Logic and Bias before shaking Bias.

Bias groans he blinks and looks at Lue. "Lue?"

"You okay? What happened?"

"I-NEMO!" he spins around and sees Nemo. Lue frowns and goes to Nemo who's still bruised and asleep. Bias looks at Logic. "Ah." He takes the needle out of his arm. "He fell asleep while giving blood." Bias hugs Logic.

"Oh... That's not good." Lue frowns. Nemo whines.

"Maybe if we fuse it will raise our amount of blood, but the rise of blood pressure..."

"Might be too much too fast..." Lue thinks. Bias holds Logic tight.

Lue holds Nemo's hand and looks at them. "I'll stay here so both of you can rest." Bias nods and in a flash, there is only Logan out cold. Lue picks him up and sinks into Logan's room. He lays him down on the bed before rising back up in Nemo's room, only to find him gone. He pales. "Nemo!?" he looks around, but there's no sign of him. He runs into the hall. "Nemo!??" he whisper-screams, but still no sign.

... 

Nemo opens his eyes as soon as Lue leaves with Logan. He sits up and winces, but he knows he doesn't have long. He cradles his broken wing and sinks into Roman's room. Roman looks up then back down. "Oh, hey Nemo no time to talk there is so much to get done."

Nemo breathes heavily. "Can... I need a wing brace. Please..."

Roman summons it on his bed. "There you go."

"Thank you." Nemo picks it up and winces again, trying to hold the brace and his wing. He glances at Roman, for a moment wondering why he's so intently focused, but he'll deal with that later. Right now, he needs to set his own wing in place and put the brace on. Oh, joy... He sinks out to his room and tries to move his wing into place but one, he can't reach and two, he feels like he's going to faint again. He remembers he hasn't eaten all day or drank anything. His head spins and he sinks out, not entirely sure of where to go to. He ends up on the floor of Evan's room, clutching the wing brace.

Evan looks up "Nemo? What the hell?"

Nemo tries to sit up and whines. He lays back down. "I- was an idiot... H-help..."

Evan gets up and goes over. "What else is new."

Nemo closes his eyes. "Right wing... Broken... Need put back in place... And brace..." he lets the brace go and tries to move his wing but can't.

"Back in place, it's dislocated?"

"Broken."

"Ok." Evan works on putting the Brace on.

Nemo hisses and buries his face into the carpet. "Uh- E-Evan I'm... Gonna..." he goes limp.

"Wimp." Evan finishes and heads downstairs.

Nico is making dinner, Terra and Patton still on the couch, Lue talking with Nico. “So, he disappeared?” Nico repeats and Lue nods. Nico sighs. “Did you check his domain?”

“Yup.”

"So, someone beat up Nemo real bad."

Lue looks to Evan. “You found him!?”

"Yeah, he passed out in my room. Needed help putting his wing brace on."

Lue nods and sinks out. “How bad?” Nico asks.

"Pretty bad if I had to guess I would say Malice did it if he wasn't gone."

Nico bites his lip and turns back to the stove. Lue rises up. “Okay, he’s back in his room.”

“Thanks, Lue.” Nico doesn’t look at him.

“Yeah.” Lue glances at him. “You okay?”

Nico puts the spatula down. “I have concerns.”

"About Nemo?" Evan looks at Patton and Terra passed out on the couch. "What's wrong with them?"

“Terra is next in line for Virgil’s job and is struggling so Patton is bottling his fear. And you said it looked like Malice did it...”

"Malice loves knives and he's cover in stab wounds. Also isn't it bad for Patton to bottle emotions?"

“Pete gave them energy then went to bed. She said she felt like someone else was draining her as well.” Nico leans against the counter, looking worried. He looks at Lue. “Remember Revenge?”

“No?” Lue looks confused.

“She kicked me out of my body and cut off Nemo’s wings.”

“Oh. Yeah?”

“She’s Malice’s daughter...”

"Oh shit."

Nemo rises up in the kitchen and falls against the counter. He groans, panting and reaching for the fridge. “Hey.” Nico supports him. “Rest.”

Nemo shakes his head tiredly. “Neeeed...” he continues reaching for the fridge.

“Are you hungry?” Lue asks.

Nemo nods. “Waaterr...” Nico sinks them out to Nemo’s room. Lue grabs a water bottle and sinks into Nemo’s room.

Nico lays Nemo on the bed. Nemo breathes heavily, whining. Lue gives the water bottle to Nico who helps Nemo drink it. He empties the bottle before laying down and sighing. “Nemo... who did this?” Nico asks.

“Me... I’m an idiot...” Nemo’s head rolls to the side.

“You couldn’t have done this to yourself.” Lue states.

“I... didn’t listen...”

“Who was there?” Nico asks.

“M-Malice... Revenge... I needed... avenge... Virgil...”

Nico sighs and pets Nemo’s head. “Rest. I’ll bring you some food when it’s done.”

“I’ll watch him.” Lue sits down. Nico nods and sinks back into the kitchen.

Evan is looking over Patton. "He needs to stop."

Nico looks over and comes out. He kneels down, frowning. “What if... we put Terra out? Give him an anesthetic? Then he can just sleep through it.”

"Sleep for 3 days? Might as well kill him." Nico closes his eyes. Shadows reach around Terra and start draining him, though it isn’t much since he is only Insecurity. The shadows fall away after a moment. Evan rubs his face. "Thomas is going to be even more anxious and jump until Virgil gets back." Terra's eyes snap open and he looks at Nico and Evan gripping Patton.

Nico pulls Evan away. “Revenge isn’t exactly the smartest...”

Terra shakes Evan sighs "Where's Logan?"

“Lue took him to his room. Said he was out.”

Evan groans "Ok let me get this straight. We have a superpower Terror, Logic and Truth are down, and we are about to lose Morality. Who the fuck thought this was a good idea?"

“Revenge.” Nico mumbles.

**"W-who?"** Terra looks between them quickly.

“I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry. Just rest.” Nico assures.

Terra screams and hides. Evan covers his ears. "Goodness gracious."

Nico winces. Sham comes running downstairs and places his hand on Terra’s head. “Wake.” Terra falls limp.

Evan relaxes "Thanks."

Sham nods and closes his eyes. “Leave Patton here. Take me to his room.” Nico nods and picks up Patton, sinking out.

Evan sighs and rubs his face. "I'll be in my room." Evan leaves.

Nico goes back to cooking. He finishes and makes a plate, sinking out to Nemo’s room. Lue looks up. “I can watch him now. You go eat.” Nico says and Lue nods and sinks out. Nico sets the plate down and gently shakes Nemo. Nemo groans and blinks. “I have some food for you.” Nemo licks his lips and Nico helps him eat. Once he’s done, Nico sets the plate aside. Nemo hugs his pillow close.

“Logan...?”

“I haven’t checked on him.”

“Please... I won’t move I promise.”

“Okay.” Nico goes to Logan’s room and knocks. No response Nico cracks open the door. Logan is asleep on his bed. Nico goes and checks him over. He seems fine. Nico goes back to Nemo’s room. “He seems okay. Just sleeping.”

Nemo nods and closes his eyes. “Thank you...”

“Yeah, of course.” Nico sits down.


	25. Chapter 25

“You are not becoming a side and that is final!” Justice glares at Revenge.

“But they need me!”

“No, they don’t!”

“Anxiety was getting out of hand!”

“You took away the person who could manage that anxiety!”

“Girls-“

“You don’t have a right to speak!” Justice points at Malice.

“I am your father.”

“I do not recognize you as my father.” Justice looks back at Revenge. “You are to not interfere again.” She looks at Malice. “And you are not to harm any of them again. Is that clear!?” He voice booms, but neither flinch.

“Whatever you say, sis.” Revenge walks away. Justice glares after her and leaves.

...

 _'VIRGIL!'_ Logan shots up from his bed holding his chest before quickly moving to his mouth. He summons a trashcan and throws up. He relaxes a little and snaps it away. He pulls his knees up and rests his head. He groans as his stomach growls loudly. He moves out of bed and goes downstairs. He is met with Nico trying to keep a peak Roman from cooking and most likely burning the kitchen down.

“No! Let me cook! Just- go back to your room!” Nico says.

"But I want to make pancakes! Cooken fun!" Roman giggles Logan rubs his face already annoyed.

Nico glances at Logan. “Can you work on breakfas-“ she sees Nemo coming down the stairs. “NEMO GET BACK TO BED!”

Nemo flinches. “I’m fine.” He continues to the kitchen, not limping anymore but still having some bruises. Nico grabs Roman and Nemo’s arms and sinks out. Logan sighs and starts cooking. Nemo rises up again and carefully glances at the stairs before coming to help. “Thank you...” he mumbles.

"You are quite welcome."

"If it makes you feel better it wasn't your fault." He shrugs "Completely." Nemo sighs. Logan looks at him. "I don't think you understand what I'm saying." Logan goes into his analyzing mod. "You were upset and rightfully so BUT that was not Nemo behavior. The first time I was able to calm you down, but the second time was different. You didn't care, you were reckless and went in without a plan. Furthermore" Logan keeps Nemo from speaking. "You couldn't be reason with. I warn you that you were only making Revenge strong witch made you want to fight her more?" Logan raises an eyebrow. "No!" Logan keeps Nemo quiet. "That doesn't make sense also after I knocked you out when you wake up the moment is over. You should have calmed down and saw reason, but you didn't. You quickly went after her again, with no plan." Logan paces "Now you might be thinking 'why would I do that?' excellent question I will tell you." Logan smirks like he solved something. "Procession? No, your eyes were normal, no this was different. You were blind to reason and logic and focus on one goal. Get revenge. Now with all my years with Patton, I know what that look is. Anger pure rage. Nemo, you are many things, but you never get that mad at anyone, not even Malice. So now the question is, how? How did they make you that angry?" Nemo opens his mouth then closes it. He opens it again and closes his eyes, tears filling them. Logan frowns "Oh I'm sorry did I say something wrong? Nemo I-" Nemo puts his hand over Logan’s mouth and hugs him, hiding his face on his shoulder. Logan blinks and hugs him back.

“I know...” Nemo whispers. “I never give in to rage. Rage has always caused me and the ones I love more pain. I’m scared of anger. I’m scared of losing control to anger...”

"You do a good job at it, Nemo. I know you; I know how you act and how you get there. That wasn't normal. You were pushed and I don't mean literally."

Nemo grips the back of Logan’s shirt and sniffles. “Logan... I charged my biggest fear... my greatest enemy without hesitation. And it wasn’t out of bravery, it was out of stupidity.”

"It was out of angry and a desire for revenge. It happens to the best of us."

Nemo holds back sobs, resisting his legs buckling. “It was too much power... too much... emotion. I get why Roman doesn’t want us around when he’s in Pride mode...” He takes a shaky breath. “It made me feel sick, but I wouldn’t let it go...”

"Nemo look at me." He cups his face. "I have looked over the event over and over again. I have looked at the evidence with and without bias. There is more to play then your normal emotions. I shot a gun and you did nothing. You didn't look at me or tell me to leave. You ignore me, one of your best friends, that was in the risk of danger. You would never ignore me."

Nemo closes his eyes and rests his head against Logan’s, shaking. “I’m sorry...” he whispers.

"I don't blame you." Logan squeezes him. "I love you."

“I love you too.” Nemo swallows back tears. Nico comes down the stairs to get Nemo but sees their having a moment and quietly goes back up the stairs.

Logan pets his head. "I've got you." Nemo takes deep breaths, slowly relaxing and fighting back the urge to say sorry again. "You need to rest."

“I’m not leaving you.”

"I'm not in danger."

“I don’t want to leave you...”

"Then I'll go with you."

“We need to eat...”

"I'm sure I can get someone to bring us food."

Nemo shakes his head. “I don’t want to bother anyone.”

"NICO!"

Nemo flinches. “Roman’s peaked. He’s probably busy-“

Nico pokes his head around the corner upstairs. “Yeah?”

"I am assuming that you have contained Roman. Can you be a dear and make me and Nemo breakfast while I take him back to his room?"

Nico raises a brow. “Sure?”

"There, problem solve. Now bed."

Nemo holds onto Logan. “It’s fine. We can-“

"Nope." Logan sinks out to Nemo's room. "Bed now." Nemo lets go and crawls into bed, curling up. He glances at his closet and sees the Bandito jacket that Virgil made for him. He snaps his fingers and is wearing it. He smells the fabric and fresh tears fill his eyes. Logan sits down next to him. "I miss him too."

Nemo crawls closer and wraps his arms around him, closing his eyes. “Is... is this okay?”

"This is fine." Logan massages his head.

Nemo sighs and relaxes. “Movie?”

"Whatever you want."

“What do you want to watch?”

"Sherlock."

Nemo smirks. “Okay.” He grabs the remote from the drawer of his nightstand. They get through about half the episode before there’s a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Nico opens the door with two plates of scrambled eggs and toast. Nemo looks at it hungrily. Nico looks at him with concern. “Have you been eating?”

“Yes.” Nemo takes his plate and immediately gets started. “Thank you.” Nico still looks concerned.

Logan looks at Nico. "Have you seen Patton he should have been up by now."

Nico sighs. “No... I think he fell into a coma. He was bottling Terra’s fear all day yesterday.”

Nemo looks up and sinks out. “Nemo!” Nico exclaims. Logan gets up and sinks into Patton's room. Nico sinks out with him. Nemo is holding Patton’s hand. Logan looks Patton over. "He's not in a coma he's just sleeping. Dangerously close to a coma but not there yet."

“Where’s Pete?” Nemo asks.

“Sleeping. Said someone drained her the other day.” Nico answers.

Nemo looks at him. “Who?” Nico shrugs.

"Roman."

Nico looks at Logan. “No. She wasn’t there at all.”

"Not physically but Roman was very persistent in working. So, his overworking is what drain her." Nemo looks down at Patton, eyes catching on the bruises on his arms before ignoring them. "In any case, you should check on Terra." Nico sinks out to Terra’s door and gently knocks, but there’s no answer. He peeks in and sees Sham asleep, holding Terra. Terra looks at Nico and screams. Nico flinches. Sham wakes up and places his hand on Terra’s head, blurring his vision again. Terra relaxes.

Sham nods for Nico to go and he gently closes the door, going back to Patton’s room, but Nemo and Logan aren’t there. He goes to Nemo’s room and finds them sitting on the bed, eating. “Sham’s with Terra.”

"Good."

Nemo picks at his food. “Roman?”

“I gave him a pile of glitter, but he’s probably lost interest by now.” Nico leaves. Nemo sets his plate aside, barely having eaten half of it.

"You should eat more."

“I’m not hungry.” _‘Yes I am.’_

"Eat."

Nemo doesn’t move. _‘Make me.’_ He thinks but doesn’t speak.

"I will only eat as much as you do." Logan puts his plate down. Nemo eyes Logan’s plate. He grumbles and takes his own, forcing himself to eat. Logan takes his plate and continues following Nemo's eating pattern. Nemo finishes his plate and curls up again. Logan pets his head. Nemo closes his eyes and rests his head on Logan’s leg. Logan continues to pet it.

Nemo’s mind wanders back to yesterday, the details he missed or ignored. He remembered hearing a gun but didn’t care to look for its origin. He remembers charging Malice multiple times. He opens his eyes and looks at his hands. _‘I did that...’_ he thinks.

_‘You can do it again... you can be strong. No one will hurt you or your family.’_

Nemo’s breath catches. _‘Who are you?’_ No answer. Nemo curls into Logan more. Logan holds him. Nemo closes his eyes and tries to relax.

_‘Logan won’t listen to you. You’re fine but he won’t let you do anything. He’s babying you; you can take care of yourself. You don’t need him.’_

Nemo can’t tell where that voice is coming from. It sounds like himself, but... _‘Do I need him?’_ He questions. _‘Does he hold me back?’_ He pauses. _‘He holds me back from being stupid...’_

_‘He keeps you from protecting them. You could be powerful... he doesn’t want you to be more powerful than him...’_ Nemo looks up at Logan.

Logan looks at him. "Something wrong?"

Nemo opens his mouth then closes it. “Nope.” He looks back at the TV. Logan frowns but ignores it for now. Nemo tries to lose himself in the show.

_‘Anger makes you strong.’_

_‘Anger gets people hurt.’_ Nemo counters.

_‘Look.’_

Nemo’s eyes move towards his desk. A sand sculpture of a snake rests on it. _‘Yes?’_

_‘Break it.’_

_‘Why?’_

_‘It’s ugly.’_

_‘I worked hard on it. It took hours.’_

_‘It’s worthless. Destroy it. Throw it into the wall. Step on it.’_

Nemo sees himself doing those things and tightens his grip on Logan. “Get out of my head...” he whispers.

_'Revenge get out of his head.'_ Nemo hears Logan's voice in his head.

_‘It’s not Revenge, it’s me.’_ Nemo closes his eyes tightly.

_'I doubt that.'_ There’s silence. Logan continues to pet his head.

Nemo fidgets with Logan’s tie. _‘I have to keep him safe.’_ He thinks. He wraps his wings around Logan and lays down with him, breathing shallowly. _‘I have to.’_ Logan rubs his back.

_‘Anger is powerful but isn’t easy to control...’_ Nemo continues to think. _‘I can practice. I can get better at controlling it. I can use it. I can use it to protect-‘_ “Ah!” Nemo clutches his shirt.

"Nemo?"

“H-heart...” Nemo gets out trying to make himself breathe. Logan sits him up. Nemo winces and finally breathes. He buries his face into Logan, holding onto him tightly. _‘Revenge and Malice killed Virgil. They took him from us. They won’t take Logan too.’_ His fistball up in Logan’s shirt.

"Nemo you need to relax." Logan rubs his back.

_‘Easy for you to say.’_ Nemo remains tense. Logan closes his eyes and goes limp. He opens his eyes and finds himself on a cliff. Dark storm clouds blow around them, the ground occasionally trembling from thunder. Nemo sits on the edge of the cliff, gripping the grass, knuckles turning white. Logan runs over and hugs Nemo. Nemo doesn’t move but closes his eyes. “Let me go.” His voice is deep.

"No, you need to calm down." Nemo shoves Logan away. "Nemo-" Nemo stands and pushes him again, glaring at him. Logan almost falls off the cliff. "Nemo careful."

“Stop babying me.”

"I'm not babying you. I'm protecting you."

“I don’t need to be protected. I can protect myself. I can protect us.” Nemo crosses his arms. “I’m not weak!”

"Nemo you got your ass handed to you by two people you can't kill. Think."

Nemo continues glaring at him. He smirks. “What if I can kill them.”

"You can't." Logan sighs and summons his logic dome around them. "You can't kill them."

Nemo blinks and looks up at Logan. He pales. “Oh, shit...”

"Nemo."

"I- I was going to help Revenge become a side. I don't know how but I was going to find a way." he sits down and draws his knees up. "So, I could kill her... So, I could kill both of them..."

"That is a horrible idea. Nemo, I need you to think. That voice who was it?"

"I don't know. It sounded like me." Nemo holds himself.

"They mimic your voice but what about speech patterns? Phrases that only you say or a type of grammar choice. Things of that nature."

“I don’t know...” Logan sits next to him.

"We will figure this out."

Nemo lays his head on Logan’s shoulder. “I feel sick...”

Logan pets his head. "What type of sick?"

“I don’t know. I feel sick like my stomach, but I don’t think I’m going to throw up.” Nemo closes his eyes. “I don’t want Malice to come back...”

"No one does." Logan pulls him into his lap. Nemo curls into him. Logan holds him.

“I hate anger.” Nemo pauses. “That’s such a contradictory thing to say...”

Logan smirks "Emotions, I'll never understand how they work." Nemo sighs.

“I don’t think anyone will...”

"Let's just enjoy the peace for now." Logan lays down.

Nemo wraps his wings around him then frowns. “You’re going to pass out...” _‘I’ll be alone...’_

"I'll be here even if I'm unconscious. You are never alone."

Nemo holds him close. “That doesn’t make sense...”

"Which part?"

“You being here if you're unconscious...”

"I will always be on your heart. I am still alive I might not be here-here but I will always be with you."

Nemo looks up into Logan’s eyes. “Promise?”

"I have never lied to you." Logan smiles "I promise." Nemo smiles back and relaxes. Logan pets him. Nemo closes his eyes, focusing on the peace they share at this moment.


	26. Chapter 26

“Why can’t you just make Roman make us?”

“Because fucking Nico won’t let me.”

Malice rolls his eyes. “And what if we just kill him too?”

“Then Roman will be even more on guard.” Revenge paces. “Logan kicked me out.”

“Of?”

“Nemo’s mind.”

“You really want to use Nemo? He’s a wuss.”

“Yeah, well. He hardly gives in to anger which means he doesn’t know how to control it. He just suppresses it, meaning it’s easier for him to lose control.”

“He can’t make us into sides.” Malice tosses a knife and catches it.

Revenge growls. “I’ll figure it out.” She storms off.

...

"Nico play with me!" Roman tackles him to the ground.

“Ack!” Nico rolls him off. “Roman! Enough!”

"Aww but Niiiccccoooo Suuunnnnssshhhiiinnneee." Roman whines

Nico looks at Roman pouting and covers his face. “Romaaaaaaan.”

Roman tackles him again. "Niiiccccoooo."

Nico huffs. “Fine. Pillow fight!” He grabs a pillow and smacks Roman’s side with it. Roman giggles and grabs his pillow and smacks Nico. Nico smirks and hits Roman again. “You think so?” Roman giggles like mad and fights like a child. Nico chuckles and lets him get a few hits. After a while, he starts tiring. “Okay- I'm- done.” He pants and drops his pillow.

Roman lays on top of him. "King Roman wins again!" Nico chuckles and kisses his cheek. Roman giggles and blushes. "I love you."

“I love you too.” Nico holds him.

"I love you mostest."

Nico rolls his eyes and nuzzles him. “Mostest isn’t even a word.” He giggles.

"It is now! By my royal decree. I love you mostest."

Nico giggles. “Oh alright.” Roman nuzzles him. “Are you hungry?” Nico asks.

"Yeah, can I cook now!?"

“No.” Nico picks him up and sinks out to the commons.

"I want to cook! The king demains it." He pouts

“Yes, well I am the king’s king and I say you’re not cooking. We’re having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” Nico sets him on the barstool.

"Okeydokey." Roman giggles Nico makes two sandwiches and gives one to Roman. He gets a plastic cup of water as well. Roman eats his sandwich happily.

“Movie?” Nico suggests.

"Ok!" Roman smiles

...

Nemo and Logan are asleep on Nemo's bed, Nemo holding Logan protectively, wings wrapped around him. He feels someone poking his shoulder and huffs. "What?" he blinks and looks up. Revenge is standing over him. He tenses before trying to kick at her, shielding Logan. She simply steps out of range.

"Cute."

Nemo glares at her. "What do you want?"

"To talk." Revenge brings a chair over and sits down. "You know, for being Truth, you're very open-minded..."

"To find truth, you must hear all input, then process and decide."

Revenge nods. "Then I hope you hear this. I'm sorry." Nemo raises a brow. "Roman told me to kill him."

Nemo narrows his eyes. "Like I'm going to believe that."

"He said that it needed to be done but he needed to keep his hands clean." Nemo closes his eyes before looking up at her, pain-filled. "You can't tell anyone I told you. They won't believe you; it'll be too late. Roman's going to create a form for Malice."

"Why would he do that? He knows what Malice can do- has done."

"He believes he can use Malice to control you. He's scared of you. He's scared of what you and Logan are capable of."

"Why? He knows we won't hurt him."

"You can hurt his ego."

Nemo frowns. "Okay. Well- what about you? Just yesterday you were trying to kill me."

"I couldn't risk losing Malice and Roman's trust. I'm sorry..." Nemo's expression softens before he looks down. Revenge takes his hand. "He killed Virgil and his next target is Logan. I can't do anything to stop him, not without losing what I have."

Nemo looks at Logan sleeping and gently pets his head. "He won't kill Logan. Malice can't. That just leaves you."

Revenge shakes her head. "No. That was the idea, but I told them I'd keep you out of the way."

"Instead you're helping me." Nemo looks up at her.

Revenge nods. "He knows what Depression can do to you. It's a matter of triggering it, making you weak."

"I'm not weak." Tears fill Nemo's eyes. "I can't be. I won't let them kill both my best friends and get away with it."

"He's going to make Malice into a side tomorrow..."

Nemo nods. "I'll be ready."

"Goodluck." Revenge disappears and Nemo lays down with Logan, holding him tightly.

_'Not on my watch.'_

...

The next day, Nemo excuses himself from playing cards with Logan in his room and goes to Roman's door. He takes a deep breath. _'For Logan. For Virgil.'_ he sinks in. Roman is hyper-focus on his desk. "Roman," Nemo says coldly.

"Not now busy."

Nemo grabs his arm and yanks him away from his desk. "I'm sure you are."

"Hey let me go."

Nemo pins him to the wall, looking somewhere between sad and angry. "How could you!?"

Roman looks confused and a little scare. "I-what?"

"If you want to hurt me then hurt me! Leave Virgil and Logan out of it!" Nemo growls.

"Out of what? What are you talking about?"

Nemo slams him against the wall. "DON'T ACT ALL INNOCENT! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID! I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND YOU KNOW WHAT? IT WON'T WORK! I'M NOT WEAK!" he throws Roman onto the floor.

Roman looks up. "What the hell are you talking about!? I have done nothing but work, peak, and work more."

Nemo kicks him. "YOU MAKE THEM DO YOUR DIRTY WORK!"

Roman stands up and punches him. "Who!? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?"

Nemo holds his face. "YOU HAD REVENGE AND MALICE KILL VIRGIL YOU BITCH!" he summons his sword and goes to stab Roman before he gets hit in the head and falls to the ground.

Revenge stands behind him and looks up to Roman. "Sorry. I wasn't fast enough."

"Wha- What the hell is going on!? Who are you?"

"I'm Revenge. I need your help." She looks down at Nemo then up at Roman. "Let me start at the beginning. My job is to guard Nemo and aid him the best I can. He was jealous of Logan and Virgil and wanted Logan to himself. He asked me to kill him, so I did-"

"VIRGIL IS DEAD!?"

Revenge raises a brow. "Yes...? No one told you?"

Roman rubs his face. "I've been busy."

Revenge shakes her head. "He'll be back tomorrow. But now Nemo's confused and upset and looking for someone to blame. He's convinced himself that you told me to kill Virgil- for whatever reason I don't know. He needs someone to control his rage and with Patton helping Terra, I'm the only one who can do so, but I can't do anything like this." she looks at her hands.

Roman thinks "Wait, Revenge your that bitch that took control of Nico and cut off Nemo's wings."

"Dad told me it was the right thing to do..." Revenge looks ashamed. "He was wrong..."

Roman sits down. "I need to process this."

Revenge looks at Nemo again. "He's going to kill you."

"He won't kill me."

Revenge looks at him. "He is a different person when he's upset."

"Yeah? Well so am I now get out."

Revenge frowns. "I can stop him. I can drain him, but I can't do it like this."

"Nice try but I'm not as stupid as I look." Roman grabs Nemo and sinks out. Revenge growls and sinks out after them. Roman rises in Nemo's domain. Revenge rises up as well. She kicks Roman's legs out from under him and takes Nemo, grabbing a gun off her belt and places it at his head, holding him in a chokehold. Roman looks up. "Don't you dare."

"Make me a side." she places her finger on the trigger.

"No."

"Make me a side or I'll kill him and burn his room."

"You can't burn his room."

"You have no idea what I'm capable of..."

"Or what I'm capable of." Roman stands up.

"You can't be everywhere at once." Revenge smirks.

"I don't have to be. You kill Nemo I tell everyone your plan, and no one will trust you. There are 14 of us looking for you."

Revenge rolls her eyes. "So closed-minded." she leans towards Nemo's ear as he starts waking up. "That's why you're mine..." his eyes shoot open as he realizes he can't move. He looks to Roman with panic in his eyes before they disappear.

"NEMO!" Roman raises in the living room. "I NEED EVERYONE NOW!" Roman text in the group chat. 'Code red living room.'

Nico and Lue run out of the dance room. "What!?" Lokoi turns from the couch with Pete and Mahaz. Sham rises up.

Logan runs down the stairs. "Revenge has Nemo at gunpoint and I lost them." Evan looks on from the kitchen door.

"WHAT!?" Lue exclaims. Nico growls and sinks out.

"We won't find them." Sham races upstairs. Pete holds Mahaz protectively who reaches for Roman, frowning.

Roman rubs his face. He looks at Evan. "Is Nemo jealous of Virgil."

"Not even a little bit."

Roman nods "That's what I thought."

Logan looks at Roman. "What happened!?"

"Nemo show up in my room and started yelling at me. He thought I sent Revenge and Malice to kill Virgil. Which I didn't. Then Revenge show up and knocked him out and said that he sent them to kill him out of Jealousy and that she needed to become a side to control Nemo's temper."

Logan thinks his eyes moving like there reading the floor. "That's her goal, I can't lose Nemo."

"You won't. Lue check the dark side." Ori comes down. "Ori, Pete, and Evan check the domains. Logan, you’re with me we are checking the subscape. Everyone move."

Lue takes a step before he gasps and falls to the ground, holding himself. Pete whimpers and curls in on herself. Logan and Evan begin to feel a burning sensation as well. "L-lue." Evan goes over to him. Logan sits down.

"Roman our rooms." Roman's eyes widen and he races upstairs Ori running with him. Smoke is seeping out of Lue, Pete, Evan, and Logan's rooms. Ori trips, pain filling her.

"Daddy!"

Roman stops and turns but he quickly goes back and looks around. "Not enough time. ENOUGH YOU WIN!"

The smoke dies down, though they're still smoldering. Revenge appears in the hall in front of Roman, smirking. "Well?"

"All the fire is out?"

"Will you give me what I want?"

Roman nods "Is the fire out?" Revenge snaps her fingers. Roman looks around.

The burning smell still infects the air, but no new smoke leaves the rooms. "They're out." Revenge crosses her arms. "I'm keeping Nemo until the deal is done. You won't find him without me."

"Fine." Ori goes over to Roman.

"Daddy." Ori holds him. Roman rubs her back.

"Everything will be ok."

Revenge smirks at them. Sham pokes his head out of Nemo's room and tries to sneak up on Revenge. "You can't sneak up on a gray side." she says.

Roman raises his hand. "It's ok Sham." _'I have a plan._ ' "Please take Ori and go downstairs." _'Trust me.'_

Sham frowns but takes Ori's hand, leading her downstairs. Revenge looks to Roman. "Well?"

"Let’s get this over with." Roman offers his hand. Revenge raises a brow and disappears. Roman rolls his eyes and sinks out to the castle. He rises up, but there's no one there. Roman looks around. "You know I need you here if we are going to do this." Roman gets in his spot.

It's a few minutes before Revenge shows up. "I'm guess I get Nemo after?"

"Yup." Revenge grins.

"How do I know he's ok?"

"Just do the job and you'll get him back."

"Fine, now this will take a few minutes and it's extremely painful."

"I'm ready." Revenge stands in her place. Roman starts the process. Revenge squeezes her eyes shut. She's soon forced to kneel, biting her lip to contain her screams.

"SISTER! NO!" Justice runs in and holds her tightly. They both start screaming before there's a flash of light. Roman closes his eyes then opens them when the light goes away. A girl is laying there, unconscious. She wears Justice's silver robes and Revenge's utility belt and pants. Roman stops the process unfinished. He falls to his knees. The girl remains unconscious for a while. She groans and starts moving. She blinks and looks around before looking down at herself.

"What just happen?"

"I- I don't know." her voice sounds soft as she looks at her hands. "Who am I?"

"I don't know." The ground shakes.

The girl stands and goes to Roman. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah just great." Roman lies down. The lights flicker. "Do you know where Nemo is?"

"N-No." the girl frowns. "You need energy..."

Roman chuckles "Na." He bites his cheeks. "Are you sure you don't know where Nemo is?"

The girl thinks hard. "I wish I did..." she opens her eyes. The ground shakes hard. "What's happening?" the girl asks.

"Earthquake it happens." Roman closes his eyes hard. The girl frowns and stays with him.

...

Nemo's body flies into the wall. He lets out a small scream before pushing through and charging the faceless guards. He turns his pain and fear into anger, doing what he has to do to survive. He's soon standing over the bodies of his foes. He breathes hard before his headache gets worse and he falls with a cry, blacking out.

_'Finally...'_ he hears before he goes under.


	27. Chapter 27

Nemo's eyes shoot open. He gasps and pushes himself off the cold ground. He stumbles and almost falls but regains his balance. He stands and runs a hand through his hair, smirking. "Always have a Plan B." he sinks out and rises up in the commons.

Everyone is in there except for Patton and Terra. They are all in pain from their rooms getting damage. Logan looks up. "Nemo!" He sits up and groans.

Nemo goes to Logan. "You okay?" Sham narrows his eyes at Nemo and hisses.

"I'm fine, just internal burning." He lays down.

"That is Nemo," Sham says. Nemo glares at Sham. There is a sharp pain in Nemo's back. Nemo screams and spins around, punching Evan. Nico raises his arm, shadows wrapping around Nemo. He summons his throwing knives and hits Nico's hand. He gasps and clutches it, dropping Nemo who sinks out.

Logan closes his eyes. "Neverending."

"Evan!" Lue crawls to him.

"I'm fine." He holds his face.

Nico looks up. "I thought the fires were put out?" they all smell new smoke.

"Who feels like they're dying?" Logan asks.

They all look at each other, but no one answers. Nico runs upstairs and sees smoke coming out of Roman's room. "ROMAN!?" he runs to it before sinking into Logan's room, grabbing a fire extinguisher and dousing the flames. Strangely enough new flames are being made like magic. Nico desperately keeps spraying until the extinguisher is empty. He throws it on the ground and tries to sink into the Imagination, but just appears where he was. "ROMAN!" he runs downstairs. "ROMAN'S ROOM IS BURNING AND I CAN'T STOP IT AND THE IMAGINATION'S LOCKED!"

"Oh, great he's killing himself." Logan rubs his face.

Ori's mouth falls open. "No!"

"Why!?" Pete exclaims.

"So, no one make him make bad people." George frowns and holds onto Pete and Mahaz.

"If Roman goes no one can be brought back and the effect on Thomas. Can he be any more stupid!?" Logan groans.

"Sounds like me." they look and see Nemo leaning against the wall, arms crossed and smirking.

Nico growls and stalks towards him. "You BITCH!" he recoils his arm, but Nemo already has it behind his back, smashing him into the wall in the blink of an eye.

"Try again. Maybe this time you'll get a hit." Nico hisses and struggles. He kicks Nemo's shin and spins around, punching him. Nemo winces and retaliates with a punch that gets blocked.

Logan rubs his face. "I don't care anymore."

Evan looks at Nemo. "Who are you!?" Ori holds onto Sham. Lokoi whimpers and hides.

"It's Revenge! She's killing Roman!" Nico tackles Nemo down who throws him off.

"Please. He's killing himself and all of you with him." Nemo stands and looks at Logan. "Finally decided it wasn't worth it, huh? Yeah, this piece of shit is pretty pathetic." he looks at himself a moment before blocking another swing from Nico.

"Malice." Logan looks at him.

"What?" Nemo looks at him, distracted as Nico punches him, sending him down. He groans and curls up. "Fuck."

Logan lays back down. "No matter we're all doom."

Nemo smirks. Nico punches him again and he growls, flipping Nico over his shoulder and knocking the wind out of him. Nico lays there a moment, stunned. Lue charges Nemo, but simply gets thrown aside. "Really?" Nemo raises a brow at Lue. Pete gives Mahaz and George to Sham and sinks out.

Ori cries Evan goes to Lue. Logan stands up. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I did come to visit, but seeing as we're all going to die anyway, I might as well have some fun." he tosses a knife into Nico who lets out a pained gasp, quickly scrambling up. "I haven't had this much fun in ages." Nemo grins.

_Bang._

Nemo is shot in the chest. "Too bad it has to end," Logan says monotone.

Nemo's eyes widen and he falls, coughing. "You- t-think this will- b-bring him back-k?" he shakes his head in pain.

"You took away the love of my life and my best friend from me. You come here to attack my family like it's some type of game. I am sick and tired of everyone fucking with my family. Roman wants to die? Fuck it. I just killed Nemo? Don't give a shit. I'll make you a fucking promise. I will not rest until this family and Thomas is safe from you and Revenge's bullshit and if you ever touch us again, I will make you hurt in ways you never thought were possible." Logan glares at him.

Nemo smirks through pain. “You can’t do anything to me.”

Logan shoots him in the leg. "I will find something." Nemo lets out a cry. Sham holds Ori, George, and Mahaz protectively and sinks out. "I thought you like pain?" Logan shots him again. Nemo screams and hits his fist on the ground. Lue holds onto Evan tightly. "Your pathetic, once someone overpowers you, your no different than the rest of us. You had your chance to be a part of this family but you only care about yourself. So, we burn your room down because we don't need you. We will never need you."

Nemo coughs up blood, body weakening. “L-Logan...”

"Not calling me logic this time Malice?"

Nemo looks up into Logan’s eyes. “L-Lo-“

Logan frowns "Coward." Logan shots him in the head. Lokoi flinches.

The gun disappears. "I'll be in my room." Logan sinks out.

Evan looks at where Logan stand. "Remind me not to get on his bad side."

Lue makes a small nod. He looks around. “Where’s Nico?”

“He left...” Lokoi mumbles.

"I'm going to take Lokoi and wait this out. You can join us if you want."

Lue nods. “Yeah. Let’s stick together.” Evan picks Lokoi up and they sink out to his room.

...

Nico crawls into the Imagination from the Subscape. He runs to the castle and finds Roman with a girl kneeling over him. Nico takes the needle out of his pocket and carefully approaches. The girl looks up. “Who are you?”

“I’m going to help.” Nico holds Roman’s arm and inserts the needle.

"N-Nico." Roman pants the walls crumbling around them.

“Shh... you don’t need to do this.” He gives him the shot and holds him as his body relaxes.

"Tool." Roman mumbles before going limp.

“No, you’re not.” Nico finishes giving him the shot and picks him up. He looks around at the debris of the Imagination, then to the girl. He frowns. “Revenge?”

“What?” The girl looks confused.

“Are you Revenge or Justice?”

“I- I don’t know.” The girl looks at herself. “I don’t know what I am...”

Nico frowns. “I’ll be back later.” He sinks into the hall and lays Roman down. He grabs another fire extinguisher and this time is able to put out the flames. He sighs and picks up Roman, bringing him in and laying him on the bed. He gently kisses his head. “You’re not just a tool.” He whispers and sits next to him.


	28. Chapter 28

Nemo’s eyes fly open and he screams. He scrambles off his bed in a panic, turning every which way, expecting someone or something to attack him. He curls up on the floor, crying. _‘I can’t show weakness.’_ He thinks and wipes his eyes, standing up. He looks around and grabs a pocket knife, suddenly feeling safe with a weapon in his hands to protect himself. He sticks it in his jean pocket and leaves into the hall.

He sees most of the other’s rooms scorched, Roman’s still smoldering. He looks at Logan’s closed door and the image of Logan pointing a gun at him comes back. He shivers. _‘It was Malice. He had to kill Malice. Oh shit. I was Malice.’_ Nemo covers his face and leans against the wall. _‘No weakness.’_ He pushes himself back up and knocks on Logan’s door.

"Go away."

“Logan...” Nemo whispers.

Logan's door flies open. "How!? I just killed you."

“I know.” Nemo looks confused and scared.

Logan paces in his room. "I don't have time for this. Nemo leave."

Nemo frowns. “Logan-“

"OUT!"

Nemo winces and leaves. He looks around the hall, lost before going to his room and curling up on his bed. _‘This is what Nico felt like...’_ he closes his eyes.

...

Virgil groans and blinks. He rolls over before shooting up. He feels his chest but finds no blood. He’s also missing his hoodie. He looks around before his eyes widen. “Logan...” he sinks out to Logan’s room. Logan is working at his desk. “Lo?” Virgil carefully walks towards him.

Logan looks at him. "Your jacket is on my bed. I clean it for you."

Virgil nods and picks it up, slipping it on. “I’m sorry...”

"Not your fault I'm happy that you are back." Logan goes back to his computer.

Virgil sits on the bed, frowning deeply. “Okay. What happened?”

"Well let's see. You died; Revenge try to get Nemo to make her a side which caused Nemo to get kidnap, all our rooms set on fire then Roman tried to out himself. Malice took control of Nemo just to 'play' with us. Yes, it was quite the 3 days." Logan doesn't look please. Virgil looks horrified. "Oh, and Terra has been a wreak the whole time because he couldn't handle being you and Patton spent a day bottling his fear and the next two days on his room in and out of sleep."

“O-oh...”

"So once again Everyone is a mess. Now, Virgil, I love you, but I need to get to work." Logan turns back to his laptop.

Virgil silently gets up. “Okay...” he leaves and goes to Nemo’s room. He quietly knocks, but there’s no answer. He cracks the door open. It’s cold. The snakes are all curled up in their terrariums, none daring to venture outside the warmth of their heat lamps. Virgil steps in and looks around. The room is a mess, notebooks scattered all over like they were thrown, some bloodstained feathers littering the floor. “Nemo?” Virgil goes to the closet and quietly opens it. Nemo is resting against the wall, unconscious. He looks a mess. Virgil touches his arm. “Nemo-“

Nemo’s eyes fly open and he shoves Virgil backward. He grabs the knife from his pocket, aiming it at him with a shaking hand. Virgil takes a few steps back and breathes deeply, not wanting to go into fight or flight. “Nemo. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I might.” Nemo looks terrified. “Don’t trust me, Virgil. Please.”

Virgil kneels down. “It’s okay. You’re not going to hurt me...” he carefully moves closer and takes the knife from Nemo. He sees scars on his arms, his white shirt stained.

“I- I hate myself.” Nemo crawls back into the closet and curls up. “I hate Revenge. I hate Malice. I hate myself.” He closes his eyes. “I can’t control it. I used to but she did something to me. I- I can’t.” He trembles.

“Shh... it’s okay... just breathe.”

Nemo shakes his head. “M-Malice- I became Malice. Logan had to kill me.”

“Yeah, but that’s not happening again. You’re not Malice.”

“Then why do I feel like it?” Nemo looks up and looks around his room. “I hate this. I hate all of this. I hate everything.” He closes his eyes and draws his knees up. “Please just go.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

Nemo shakes his head. “Go.” Virgil reaches for his hand, but Nemo pulls it away. “I’m sorry. I failed you. I couldn’t keep Logan safe. I couldn’t protect him.” He trembles fiercely. “I’m weak. I’m fucking weak. They took me. I’m pathetic and worthless and-“

Virgil clamps his hand over Nemo’s mouth. “Stop that. It’s not true.” Nemo looks at him with tears pouring from his eyes. Virgil hugs him. “You’re not pathetic and you’re not worthless. Weak? We’re all weak. No one is undefeatable.”

Nemo closes his eyes and leans on him. “I failed...” Virgil rocks him and rubs his back. Nemo sniffles. “L-Logan?”

“Said he needed to work. He told me briefly what happened.”

Nemo gives a small nod. “R-Roman?”

“I don’t know. I came here after leaving Logan’s room.” Virgil says. Nemo tries to pull away, but Virgil won’t let him.

“Let me go.” Nemo mumbles.

“No.”

“I hate you.” The words hurt Nemo.

“I love you too,” Virgil replies graciously.

Nemo huffs. “They make Roman a tool and me a vessel...” Virgil stays silent. Nemo slumps against Virgil. “I give up. It’s safer to be apathetic than emotional. The only person who gets hurt then is yourself.”

Virgil sighs. “Nemo...”

“I’m done.” Nemo closes his eyes. Virgil frowns and lifts Nemo up, laying him on the bed. He crawls in next to him and holds him. “Go away.”

“I thought you said you didn’t care anymore?” Nemo remains silent. Virgil stays with him until he falls asleep.

...

Terra goes into the kitchen and starts eating any snack food he can get his hands on. Lokoi hesitantly makes their way down the stairs. Terra looks over. "Hey, buddy." Lokoi gives a small wave. Terra can feel they’re afraid. Terra goes over and hugs them. Lokoi hugs him back. "Everything ok?" They shake their head. Terra takes them to the couch and pets their hair.

“Malice took over Fishbird... Logie go bang at Fishbird... Magic Man try to die...”

Terra frowns "Oh..." Lokoi curls into him. Terra rubs their back.

“You were sick...”

"I'm better now." Lokoi nods. "Everything is going to be ok. I'll protect you." Lokoi sighs. Terra gives them a squeeze. "I've got you." Lokoi holds onto Terra and relaxes. "Let's watch some cartoons." Terra offers.

Lokoi nods. “Okay.” They smile. Terra smiles and grabs the remote turning on Star vs the forces of evil.


	29. Chapter 29

Patton wakes up for what feels like the hundredth time. He slowly gets out of bed and goes into the hallway. Many rooms look damage Roman's the worst. He goes to Nemo's room and quietly opens the door. Nemo is asleep, laying on Virgil who holds him. Virgil looks over to Patton. “Hey...” he whispers

Patton quickly walks in a pulls out his phone. 'Welcome back.'

‘Thanks.’ Virgil signs and offers a half hug, still holding Nemo whose arms are now wrapped.

Patton takes it. 'how do you feel?'

‘Ok’ Virgil signs. “Logan told me what happened...” he whispers.

'You probably know more than me then.'

Virgil nods. “Revenge tried to become a side which led to her kidnapping Nemo and setting everyone’s rooms on fire. Roman tried to kill himself, and Malice took over Nemo.” He looks down at the sleeping side in his arms with concern. “He’s scared of hurting us. He believes he failed to keep Logan safe. He said it’s better to be apathetic than emotional.”

Patton frowns he thinks about what to say. He feels bad for not helping more but that wasn't his fault. Patton rubs his face. Virgil takes his hand and gives it a squeeze. “It’s okay. You were helping Terra.”

"He really needed it. He was so jumpy and scream for no reason all the time." Patton continues to rubs his face.

Virgil nods. “Yeah... that must not have been pleasant for either of you...”

"I value you so much more. To be able to handle it so well." Patton smirks

Virgil smiles. “Thanks, Dad.”

"I'm serious I'm proud of you. You have grown way more then you will ever know."

Virgil beams. “You helped me.”

"We all know that credit goes to Logan."

Virgil smirks then looks down. “Yeah...” he looks up. “He didn’t take it well... did he?”

"Sadly, all my time was spent with Terra. I haven't seen Logan since you two left for the imagination." Virgil gives a small nod. Nemo groans and Virgil pets his head. Patton closes his eyes and frowns "Angry, lost, determine. He's hard to read right now." Patton opens his eyes.

Nemo rubs his cheek on Virgil. “Do you know if he’s ever felt like this before?” Virgil asks.

"No, Logan usually keeps an open and calm mind, especially in stressful situations. He once told me that someone had to stay calm or we would all fall. To feel him so conflicted... This must have really hit him hard."

Virgil nods. “He lost me and then had to kill Nemo when Malice took him...“ Nemo blinks.

"Logan... Killed?" Patton thinks it over not believing it.

“Shot me in the chest to get me down, twice in the leg for punishment. I kept trying to fight back Malice but that only made him stronger... managed to get a moment and Logan shot me in the head.” Nemo mumbles. Patton frowns and holds Nemo's hand. Nemo closes his eyes. “I was weak...”

“No, you weren’t.” Virgil counters.

“You weren’t there.”

"Nemo telling yourself that your weak won't make you stronger."

“But it’s the truth...”

"Then make it untrue. If you believe your weak then get stronger. You want to protect us? You want to protect Logan then get stronger.

I could show you how to be strong

In the real way

And I know that we can be strong

In the real way

And I want to inspire you

I want to be your rock

And when I talk

It lights a fire in you"

Patton sings Nemo looks up at Patton before shaking his head and looking down. “People get hurt when I’m strong... but I need to be to protect them...” Virgil feels tears wet his jeans. “I don’t know what I want...” Patton draws circles into Nemo's hand. Nemo relaxes a bit. Patton looks at Virgil with concern. Virgil bites his lip.

Patton kisses Nemo's head. "I'll watch Nemo, you look tired go rest."

Virgil shrugs. “Just hungry is all.” Nemo tries to pull away, but Virgil keeps him close.

"Then go get some food." Patton taps a L on his leg.

Virgil nods. “Okay.” He slides off the bed. Nemo rolls away and encases himself in his wings. Virgil frowns at him but heads out.

Patton gets in and holds him. "Movie?"

“Okay.” Nemo keeps his arms to himself, not opening his eyes. He’s shaking. Patton can feel the anger rolling off him in waves.

Patton frowns "Nemo-"

“I’m fine.”

"I can feel your anger."

Nemo squeezes his eyes shut. His hand shakes more. He feels toxic like he’s burning inside but not like when his fire is burning. It’s more like he is made of fire rather than being burned by it. He doesn’t know what to do. He’s scared and confused. He feels he has no reason to be angry. _‘I hate myself. Why am I like this? I shouldn’t be like this. Why do I have to deal with these after-effects? Fucking Malice fucking with my head. Fuck him. Fuck everything.’_

"Nemo breath." Patton continues to pet his wings. Nemo follows the breathing exercise, but it does nothing. Having his wings pet would usually feel good and calm him, but right now it just makes him more upset and he doesn’t understand why. He’d love nothing more than to smack Patton’s hands away, but he keeps his arms still and claws at himself. Patton stops "Nemo hit me."

“Why?” Nemo keeps his nails dug into his own arm.

"Because you need to let this out. Bottling it up will just make it worse. You can't hurt me so hit me or summon a punching bag or go on a run something just not that."

“I’m not using my boyfriend as a punching bag even if it doesn’t hurt you.” Nemo lets go of his arm and moves to a different spot. “I won’t hurt anyone.”

"Then run or a punching bag because I won't let my boyfriend hurt himself."

Nemo lets go of his arm but it’s not enough. He bites his hand and winces but doesn’t let go. _‘Pathetic. Shouldn’t be upset over this. Weak.’_

"Nemo." Patton pulls his hand out. "Not yourself."

Nemo shakes and cries. “I hate myself. I hate myself. I hate myself.” Patton frowns he holds his hand tight. Nemo feels a wave of calm and self-worth. He still feels like he’s going to vomit though. “Ssstop.”

"No."

“P-Patton please.”

Patton closes his eyes. "I won't lose you."

Nemo cries harder. _‘He’s still scared of losing me. He’s going to push himself for me. I can’t stop hurting people. Leech.’_ He shoves Patton away and ends up falling off the bed. Patton stands up. He glares at him and grabs his arm. Now he is switching all of his emotions with Nemo. Nemo whines and squeezes his eyes shut. His head pounds and his stomach does flips. He hangs from Patton’s grip before vomiting on the floor.

"Nemo!?" _'What are you doing? You’re hurting him? You’re hurting the one you love.'_ Nemo gasps for air. "Nemo!? I'm sorry I'm so sorry." Patton backs away.

Nemo shakes his head. "I'm- I'm okay..." he covers his mouth and swallows back another round.

"No, I hurt you. Stupid." Patton sinks out.

"Patton!" Nemo sinks into Patton's room. Patton is curl up on his bed. Nemo goes over and holds him. "It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is. You told me to stop and I didn't."

"You also told me to stop hurting myself and I didn't. You were trying to protect me. It's okay. I just got a little queasy, it's fine." Nemo massages his head. Patton holds himself. Nemo nuzzles him and hums.

Patton grips his arms Nemo usually calms him down, but he just feels more upset and doesn't understand why. He wants to push Nemo away but squeezes his eyes shut instead. ' _I hate myself. I'm a leech forcing my emotions on others. Made Nemo sick.'_

Nemo frowns. "Love..." he sighs. "Just bottle it. We'll figure it out later..."

"Fine." Patton closes his eyes and turns grey. Nemo frowns deeper and continues to hold him. Patton puffs

Nemo closes his eyes. _'I'm losing him...'_ he continues massaging Patton's head. Patton ignores him. "Patton...?"

"What."

"Do you... Want to watch a movie?"

"Whatever." Nemo still looks concerned but puts on a movie for them.

...

Virgil knocks on Logan's door. "Lo, I brought lunch."

"Come in."

Virgil opens the door, carrying two plates of tacos. "Here you go Star." he sets Logan's plate down and kisses his cheek. Logan ignores him, for the most part, looking at his white bored fill with notes about the grey sides. Virgil sits on the bed and eats. "What you doing?"

"Trying to figure out how to stop the grey sides from affecting us." Logan scans the information for the thousand times.

Virgil nods. "Well... They kind of have free rein." he frowns. "Whatever happened to Justice and Guilt?"

"Don't know, don't care." Logan taps his foot. "There got to be something. Some weakness that we can use." He mumbles to himself.

"Maybe they could help?" Virgil suggests.

"They're clearly not doing a good job at it or don't care." Virgil sighs. "You can leave whenever."

"Okay. Just please eat." Virgil lays down and pulls out his phone.

"Later." Logan picks up his notebook and writes something down before quickly erasing it. "No that won't work."

"Logan." Logan continues to mumble to himself as he looks over everything. Virgil stands up and takes his notebook. "Ten minutes and eat. That's all I'm asking."

Logan thinks "Fine." He sits down and takes his plate his eyes still glued to the board. Virgil sits in front of him, blocking his view of the board. "Virgil."

"You're on break."

"I'm multi-tasking. It's a great skill to have now move."

"You said to you'd take a ten-minute break."

Logan glares at him. "Virgil this is too important for having stupid breaks." Logan puts his plate down and stands up.

Virgil stands up as well. "Logan-"

"Stop, just stop."

Virgil frowns. "Fine. At least ask Nico. He knows the gray sides better than any of us." he storms out.

Logan rubs his face. He moves to his bed and screams into his pillow. He takes a deep breath. "I'm fine I can do this. I need to do this." He moves back to the board. "I have to."


	30. Chapter 30

Virgil places firm knocks on Roman's door. Nico opens it. "Shh! What are you- Virgil!?"

"Logan needs your help he's trying to figure out the dark side's weaknesses."

"I- what?" Nico blinks then looks behind him. "But Roman..."

"I'll stay." Virgil walks in and plops down in a chair.

Nico frowns. "Virgil?"

"I'm fine. Go. Shoo." Nico frowns deeper and goes to Logan's door, knocking.

"Go away I'm busy."

"I'm here to help."

Logan opens the door. "Virgil sent you. Fine, come in. Tell me everything you know about the grey sides." Nico sits on the bed and looks at the notes Logan already has.

_-Grey sides a little influence on Thomas but a stronger influence on sides behavior e.g Guilt taking away someone’s guilt._

_-they can process sides e.g Malice with Sloth and Nemo, Revenge with Nico_

_-they can turn invisible_

_-they can go anywhere in the mindscape_

_-most of them are teenagers e.g Guilt, Condemnation, Revenge, and Justice._

_-attacks go through them_

_-can't be killed them_

_-can't read their books or go to where they live without a guide._

"As you can see, I don't have enough to work with."

Nico nods. "What do you want to know?"

"I'm trying to figure out how to stop them from getting to us. So, anything that can help is fine."

Nico thinks. "They can be hurt, but only if they want to. They can allow objects to phase through themselves, like how Patton can choose what does and doesn't break his skin." he gets up and walks to the board. "The grey sides are bigger on the mind than physical harm. Most of them..."

"A broken mind is hard to fix." Logan nods in agreement.

"As for weaknesses, they are as weak as they choose to be. They don't obey our laws of life. You want to protect us from them getting in our heads? The only way to do that is to work at it individually, building immunity to a certain trait similar to building immunity to a strain of the cold or flu."

"That will take a long time and won't be easy for some of us."

"Or some will be incapable, like Nemo. He had the Insecurity disease, but still hasn't built a tolerance to it." Nico sighs and rubs his face. "He seems to always be at square one."

"Grown the most and least." Logan mumbles "His problem... Among many others is that he pushes things away. Especially his own health. Quicker to sacrifice himself or cause himself harm even if it's not the only way and tries to ignore the problem then try to understand it. It makes him the perfect puppet for manipulation. His inability to understand himself is his biggest downfall." Nico nods. "I have work with Nemo for the past two years and I'm going, to be honest, he's a lost cause."

"Yeah... I think he knows that."

"Him knowing that only makes it truer. Nemo makes no, to little, effort to change and get better. The littlest push sends him flying backward and like you said. Square one. To be able to change you need to want it and work for it. Nemo has gone through many changes, but his growth has stopped and it looks like there is nothing left for us to do to help him."

Nico frowns. "But why would that be? He keeps losing sight of who he is. Why? How?"

"Influence from the gray sides? His old coping mechanism not working anymore? I don't know. I've been in Nemo's mind and it's a mess."

Nico paces. "Was it anything like the disease? Have you checked his books?"

"I don't think it was like the disease. I haven't checked his books in a while." Logan admits.

"When Revenge kicked me out of my body, our minds had to meld for that to happen. Information got shared between us, that's how I remember what I do about the gray sides." Nico shrugs. "Maybe Malice did the same with Nemo. They need a point of entry, so they'll try to stir up the emotion which they are based off of. So, for Malice and Revenge, the emotion is anger. Nemo rarely gives in to anger, so he had little to no experience in harboring it healthily. And now that the door has been opened to that emotion, he doesn't know what to do with it. It isn't even directed or triggered by any one thing, it's just there and he doesn't understand it. He won't let it hurt anyone else, so he ends up hating himself and giving his insecurities a major boost." Nico looks back over the board.

"Nemo doesn't try to understand it. He just gives up and believes he's bad. Then we have to figure it out ourselves and then drag Nemo until he sees it."

"He's Truth and yet he waits for you to feed him truth." Nico turns to Logan.

"You know what the most idiotic part is? Anger? He taught Patton how to deal with anger, yet he can't teach himself." Nico looks up at the ceiling. He feels something, like insecurities reawakening from somewhere in the room. He looks to the bed and frowns. Logan rubs his face. "He can help others but never himself even when he deals with the same problem. It makes no logical sense. Nothing Nemo does makes logical sense."

Nico feels those insecurities peak again. He moves towards the bed, hearing sniffling. He kneels down. "Nemo." Nemo crawls away, partially transparent. Nico blinks before reaching out a hand. Nemo keeps moving away.

Logan looks over. "Wha-...How are you doing that?"

Nemo shakes. "I don't- know."

"How much did you hear?"

Nemo bites his hand before looking up at Logan, bangs hanging over his eyes. "You said you wouldn't lie to me. And yet you gave me false hope. If I really am a lost cause, then give it up."

"Nemo-" Nemo cuts Nico off.

"You know what? Maybe you didn't lie, you were just withholding your true feelings and you know what? I don't give a fuck." Nemo's form looks more transparent.

"For being Truth, you sure have a hard time finding it. Everyone has been able to figure themselves out but you. You wait for us to tell you who you are then you spend most of the time saying we're wrong but do nothing to fix yourself. You are the laziest, problematic person I know."

Nico looks between Logan and Nemo. Nemo looks into Logan's eyes before nodding. "Okay." he disappears. Logan takes deep breaths.

Nico looks around with wide eyes. They feel the mindscape shift. "What... Just happened...?"

"If I have to guess Nemo is gone."

Nico blinks and goes into the hall. And empty wall stands where Nemo's door was, though no scorch marks are present. Nico shakes his head. "No. That can't happen. That's not how it works!"

"Looks like he self-destructed somehow." Logan goes back to the board.

...

Nemo enters the room with no walls. He looks around, searching for some form of life. "Truth." he turns and sees Malice approaching him. He kneels.

"Malice."

Malice smirks. "My daughters are missing. Find them and bring them back."

Nemo stands. "I won't fail." _'Not like before.'_

Malice plays with a knife. "Before has no existence. There is only the here and now. Bring me my daughters and there may be a reward in store for you..." Nemo nods and leaves.


	31. Chapter 31

Roman groans awake. Virgil looks over. "Hey..."

"Welcome back dull and gloom."

Virgil smirks softly. "Sir sing a lot." he looks around the scorched room. "Love the aesthetic."

"Eh, could be better. Good thing I move all my belongings to Nico's room."

Virgil sighs. "Why did you try this? We could have lost you for good."

"I refuse to become a tool. Revenge set everyone’s rooms on fire. It was either me or Everyone."

"Well in killing yourself you'd kill all of us with you. Without you, we wouldn't exist."

"Forgot about that part... Would it be that bad? A final rest from all this shit?"

"And if we're gone then what happens to Thomas?"

"I don't know."

Virgil sighs. "I don't want to find out..."

Roman looks at the ceiling. "At least Revenge didn't become a side."

"Where is she?"

"Still in the imagination. I think she fused with Justice."

"Huh..."

There's a knock on the door before Nico opens it. He looks at Virgil, distraught. "Nemo- He's... Gone."

"What do you mean...?" Virgil asks suspiciously.

"I mean he just disappeared along with his room."

Virgil pales. "WHAT!?" Roman senses Nemo in the Imagination.

"He can't be gone. He's in the imagination." Nico looks up, eyes filling with hope. "I can't really move but be careful if you go to get him. The imagination was kinda in the middle of getting destroyed."

Virgil stands. "I'm going with you." Nico nods and offers his hand. Virgil takes it and they sink out.

...

Nemo walks through the forest of fallen trees, making his way slowly to the castle. He could just appear there, but he wanted to make sure he wasn't missing anything. He eventually gets to what remains of the castle, the walls in the process of crumbling away. For once, the Imagination seems dead. "Hello?" Nemo turns and sees a young girl who looks to be wearing a combination of Justice and Revenge's clothes. "Who are you?"

"Truth. You?"

"I don't know..." the girl looks down.

Nemo frowns. "You seem to be a fusion of Justice and Revenge. Your father sent me to retrieve you."

"Justice? Revenge? Father?" the girl looks confused.

Nemo steps closer. "Just come with me. You'll understand eventually."

...

Virgil and Nico rise up and begin their search. "Wow..." Virgil looks around at the destruction.

"Yeah..." Nico tries to ignore it and find Nemo. "If you were Nemo, where would you go?"

"Would depend on why I'm here, but I'd probably start at the castle," Virgil says. Nico nods and they make their way there. When they get there, they see Nemo talking with a girl. Nico watches them intently while Virgil keeps his guard up, but he can't help but hope against hope that it means Nemo's alive. Nico stands and approaches, Virgil following.

Nemo looks over. "Who are they?" the girl asks, following his gaze.

"Interference." Nemo summons his sword.

Virgil stops. "Nemo...?"

Nemo aims his sword at them. "No. I am Truth. I'm on a mission and you can't stop me. I will not fail."

"A mission to do what? From who?" Nico asks. Nemo charges. Nico summons his sword and meets Nemo in the duel. "Nemo! I don't want to hurt you!"

"Oh really? Cause I do!" Nemo spins, leaving s cut on Nico's arm. Nico lets out a small scream and tries to stab him, but his sword goes right through him leaving no damage. Nico looks up and Nemo grabs his throat and throws him. Virgil's eyes start glowing and he tries to tackle Nemo, only to fall through him. Nemo kicks him and Virgil hisses. Nemo sighs and hits him in the head, Virgil's body falling limp to the ground. Nemo turns back to the girl. "Let's go." he takes her hand and disappears, but she doesn't. She blinks in confusion. Nemo reappears, frowning. He tries again with the same results. He reappears. "You're trapped here."

"I... I don't understand?"

Nemo thinks. "Creativity must have only gotten through a part of the process of turning you into a side... Which means you can't leave the Imagination."

"But I want to go home!" the girl whines. Nemo looks at her. "I'm starting to remember, and I just want to go back and feel safe and know who I am!" tears fill her eyes.

"Are you crying?" Nemo asks with a condescending tone. The girl sniffles and wipes her eyes. Nemo rolls his. "I'll be back." he disappears. The girl looks at the two bodies before walking away.

...

Nemo appears in Roman's room. "Nemo? Where's Nico and Virgil?"

Nemo walks over and grabs Roman's wrist, disappearing. They reappear in the Imagination, and Roman feels sick from the transition. It's not as easy on the body as sinking out. "Rejust." the girl turns around.

"What?"

Nemo looks at Roman "You're going to finish your job and this time you aren't going to burn your room trying to 'save everyone' bullshit. You just wanted to die, so you might as well make yourself useful." he throws Roman down.

Roman looks up. "I can't, I'll die before I finish then we will all die."

Nemo snarls and kicks him. The girl winces. "Yes, you will!" he summons a knife.

"Wait!" the girl cries. "Don't hurt him!"

Nemo glances up at her before looking down at Roman. He traces Roman's cheek with the blade, drawing a thin line of blood. "At least free her from the Imagination. Let me bring her back."

Roman hisses "I don't know how. Why are you doing this?"

Nemo grabs his throat, pinning him down and looking him in the eyes, his own dark, and cold. "I am Truth. I was given a mission and I will not fail. Not because of you." he growls and holds Roman's throat tight, digging his nails into his skin. Roman opens his mouth in a silent scream unable to breathe. Nemo waits until Roman almost passes out before letting go, letting Roman cough.

Roman coughs hard and gasps. He feels dizzy and lightheaded. "I-cough-can't." Roman clutches his fist. More of the wall breaks.

Nemo sighs. "So naïve." he snaps his fingers and Roman falls unconscious. He picks him up.

The girl fidgets with her clothes. "Where are you taking him?"

"Somewhere he can't kill himself. We need him." Nemo disappears. He reappears in the subscape and enters the bunkhouse, finding a room and depositing Roman on the bed. He locks the door before disappearing and reappearing in Logan's room. "Logic." he greets coldly.

Logan looks at him. "Truth."

Nemo walks towards him. "How would I be able to remove Rejust from the Imagination given she has become a part of it?"

"Who?"

"Revenge and Justice fused. I was sent to bring them back."

"I know very little about how the imagination works. My guess is they need to become a side but Roman is no condition to do that, but you already know that." Nemo sighs. "Sorry, but I can't help you. Tell Malice I say hi."

"Whatever." Nemo looks at the board and frowns. "What are you doing?" he goes to it.

"Like you care."

Nemo turns on his heel. "Actually, I do." he looks over the notes. "You're planning on attacking the gray sides..."

"I just want to be left alone. We got rid of the dark sides now it's time to get rid of the grey. We literally do not need them that's why their grey."

Nemo huffs. "You just want to get rid of me."

"Not everything is about you. I'm actually focused on Malice."

"He gave me a second chance..." Nemo mumbles.

"Malice is using you. He doesn't give two shits about you."

Nemo snarls at him. "Well, neither do you! At least he gives me clear direction! At least he tells me the cold hard truth!"

"You can't handle the truth! So gullible you believe anything anyone tells you. I did care about you. I worked with you for 2 years, but you didn't put the work in. I was metaphorically dragging you to self-improvement."

"And why didn't it work!?" Nemo glares at him.

"Because you didn't want it to work. You hold on to your lies and made them true. There was nothing I or anyone can do. You gave up." Nemo clenches his fist, eyes locked onto Logan's and shaking, but not saying anything. "Leave, we're done here." Nemo looks back at the notes. "Fine." he snaps his fingers and all of Logan's research is gone. "Hey!" Nemo disappears. Logan glares and sinks out.


	32. Chapter 32

Nico groans and blinks. He sees a shadow above him. "Are you okay?" a female voice asks. Nico blinks again and sees that girl is over him, looking at him with concern.

"Yeah..." Nico sits up and feels himself being supported. He looks to the side and sees Virgil.

"Nemo's gone..." Virgil frowns.

Nico sighs and stands. "We're checking the dark side." they sink out.

...

George comes down the stairs. He goes to the common room and sees Terra and Lokoi asleep on the couch. George taps Terra's shoulder. Terra groans. "Terra." George continues to tap him getting harder.

"What?" Terra mumbles.

"Magic man going to die."

Terra sits up. "What. Where is he?"

"Subcape."

"Subscape." Terra sinks out. "ROMAN! ROMAN! WHERE ARE YOU!?" There's no answer. There's nothing except Terra and the subscape. "Guilt! Anyone? Please, this is important. Roman can't die."

Nemo appears in front of Terra. "Terror."

"Dad! We need to find Roman. George says he is here and he's going to die."

"He's not going to die. Not here."

"The subscape kills us."

"He was trying to kill himself."

Malice appears. "What's the problem, Truth?"

Nemo straightens his back. "Justice and Revenge fused and are trapped in the Imagination. Creativity has refused to help and tried to kill himself again. Logic had also refused to aid."

"D-dad?" Terra looks scared.

"Just let him die. If he does, then my daughters will be free." Malice plays with a knife.

"If he dies then everyone else dies with him."

"Why should that matter to you?"

Nemo clenches his jaw. "It doesn't."

"You are Truth, not Deceit. Why should it matter to you?" Malice demands.

Nemo's eyes glance at Terra before looking back to Malice. "Because I still love them," he admits.

"The past is dead. They failed you."

"I failed them." Nemo counters. A knife flies towards Nemo but passes right through him. "Maybe like this, I can finally grow. Can finally let go of what you taught me." he looks at his hands. "Or is that all I am. Am I simply a product of your abuse and lies?"

"Dad? What's going on?"

Nemo closes his eyes. "I'm not your father."

"What? Of course, you are! Grey, dark, light you’re my dad and I love you."

Nemo opens his eyes and looks at Malice. "I'm going to get you killed..."

"Why would you kill me?"

Nemo stays silent a moment, still watching Malice. "Well? Are you going to answer the boy _Truth_?" he sneers. Nemo turns and walks away.

"Dad! Please, where's Roman? He can't stay here. He will die."

"Terra enough."

Terra looks at Malice with tears in his eyes. "What did you do to him?"

"Showed him who he is." Malice grins. "Truth. Cold hard Truth."

Terra sinks out. He goes into the hallway. Roman's door flickers he runs to Patton's room. "Dad!" He hugs him. Patton holds him.

"What's wrong?"

"Roman is going to die and Nemo is a gray side working for Malice and I'm scared."

Patton holds him close. "Where are they?"

"Subscape." Patton sinks out with Terra.

"Roman. Now."

"Hmmm. What do you think Truth?" Malice smirks at Nemo who's looking at the ground. "TRUTH!" Nemo snaps to attention and looks up. He sees Patton and freezes. Malice grumbles. "Have to do everything myself. GO BACK!" Nemo flinches and disappears.

Patton puts Terra down. "Go I'll get Roman." Terra sinks out. Patton looks at Malice. "Malice."

"Emotions."

"It's Morality and you know it."

Malice rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”

"Give me Roman."

“No.”

...

Nemo enters the bunker and goes to the room where he left Roman. Roman looks up at him, shivering and pale. “I’m sorry,” Nemo says and places his hand on Roman’s head. Nemo’s body disappears and Roman lays back down.

...

Nemo stands in the throne room, Roman slouching on the throne. Nemo easily picks him up and removes him.

"What are you doing?" He mumbles

“What I have to do to protect everyone...” Nemo lays Roman down and pulls a blanket over him. He sits down on the throne.

...

Roman stands and walks out of the room. He leaves the bunker and sees Patton and Malice. He quickly sinks out to Pete’s room. He takes deep breaths, letting her room work. Pete looks over from her desk. “Dad?”

Roman looks up, eyes yellow. “Pete. I need your help.”

“What? With what? Why are your eyes yellow? Why did you try to kill yourself?” She stands and frowns.

Roman stands as well. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to be a tool, but Revenge was going to kill everyone if I didn’t make her a side. But we need to work fast.” He offers his hand.

Pete looks confused but takes it. Roman sinks them out to the Imagination. Pete looks around in horror. “What happened?”

“No time.” Roman leads them to the stone circle. “Rejust!” The girl pokes her head out from behind a stone. “Stand there.” Roman points. The girl stands in her place and Roman stands in his.

Pete takes Roman’s hand. “Are you sure? Isn’t this what you were trying to avoid?”

“She doesn’t remember anything. Plus, it’s the two of them. It’s different, Justice can keep Revenge in check and Roman doesn’t have to die.” Roman barely catches his mistake.

“What? Roman? Dad?” Pete looks at him. Roman gives Pete’s hand a squeeze, but she pulls it away. “Who are you!?”

Roman looks at her, eyes brightly yellow. “Take a wild guess.”

Pete blinks. “But- how!? Why?”

“Pete, we need to do this before Malice tries to stop us.”

“What!?” She exclaims but takes Roman’s hand. He closes his eyes and starts the process.

... 

"If Roman dies we all will disappear forever!" Patton yells

“So?”

"Do you not want to live?"

Malice shrugs. “Can you really call what I do living?”

Patton looks at him. "I guess not. What was even your purpose for Thomas?"

“I don’t know.”

"From day one you wanted to just hurt everyone. You just cause misery everywhere you go. But you don't care. It's just a game, entertainment to you." Malice smirks. "I can't believe we were ever friends."

Malice shrugs again. “It was nice knowing you.” He makes a finger salute and disappears. Patton sinks out back to the commons.

...

Roman finishes, panting and holding on to Pete tightly. “Nemo?” Pete asks.

Roman shakes his head and collapses. “T-Truth...” his eyes slam shut.

Pete looks up at the girl unconscious a way aways, then down at Roman. She picks up Roman and sinks out to his room, laying him on the bed, before checking the hall. There are no new doors, and Nemo’s is missing. She frowns deeply and heads upstairs. Also, no new doors. _‘That means...’_ she sinks out to the dark side.

Nico and Virgil are coming down the stairs. “Pete?” Nico asks. Pete races past them and looks into the hall. A new door stands next to Raven’s. She can’t help a hint of jealousy but stuffs it down. She sinks back into the Imagination before sinking into the new room. It’s mostly plain for now, just a bed against the wall and a desk. Pete lays the girl on the bed before leaving and meeting Nico and Virgil in the hall.

“Nemo took over Roman and made her into a side.”

“He WHAT!?” Virgil exclaims.

Nico rubs his face. “Where is he?”

“I put them in Roman’s room.” Nico nods and sinks out. He rises up in Roman’s room and goes to the bed. He places his hand on Roman’s head and closes his eyes.

... 

Nemo is unconscious on the throne, Roman lying next to him. Nico frowns and pulls Nemo off the throne, replacing him with Roman. He picks up Nemo and prepares to leave when Nemo’s eyes shoot open and he shoves Nico away, disappearing. Nico hisses and leaves as well.


	33. Chapter 33

Virgil and Pete rise up in the commons. Patton is holding Terra, Lokoi, and George. "Hey..."

"Daddy." George makes grabby hands. Virgil picks him up and holds him close. Pete goes to the kitchen, starving.

"So, what's the plan?" Terra asks

“Nemo took over Roman and made a side of a Justice/Revenge fusion,” Virgil says.

“He said he had to so Dad didn’t kill himself...” Pete adds.

"Why did Nemo join Malice?" Terra asks holding Patton tight. Patton rubs his back.

“I don’t know. I didn’t see him with him.” Pete says.

"Because I was talking to him at the time," Patton says

“What do you mean?” Virgil asks.

"I was talking to Malice. I was trying to get him to give me Roman. Apparently, he doesn't care that killing Roman would destroy all of us." Virgil frowns. Patton sighs "How's Logan?" he looks at Virgil. "I forgot to ask given...everything."

Virgil looks away. “I... kind of stormed off. He was so set on figuring out how to stop the grey sides that he wouldn’t listen to anything else. I ask for a ten-minute break and he agreed then changed his mind. I sent Nico to help him, I don’t know how that went.”

"He's coping the only way he knows. Research. He's trying to solve a problem that he believes he can solve if he just puts everything into it."

Virgil sighs. “I know.” Patton and Terra open their arms offering Virgil a hug. Virgil holds onto George a hugs them. Patton and Terra wrap their arms around Virgil and George. Lokoi joins in on the hug. Pete comes out and joins as well.

They all stay there for a minute before slowly pulling away. "Let’s go to bed. It's late and everyone needs the rest."

“Sounds good.” Virgil stands and goes to George’s room. Pete and Lokoi walk up to their rooms.

Terra looks at Patton. "Can I sleep with you?"

"Yeah kiddo, of course." Patton picks him up and walks upstairs.

...

Nemo gazes into the emptiness, watching neuron signals ignite the sky like lightning. He feels a presence nearing. “Not now.”

Malice approaches anyways. “I thought you said you wouldn’t fail.”

“I didn’t.” Nemo simply replies, not turning to him.

Malice remains standing. “I told you to bring them back.”

“I couldn’t. I could only complete the process.”

“Then burn their room.”

“No,” Nemo says. Malice growls. “You can’t hurt me. Not unless I let you.”

“Maybe not physically. But we all know words hurt you more than anything.”

“Then I’ll simply be subjected to emotional abuse as I was before. There is nothing new under the sun.” Nemo stands and looks Malice in the eyes. “I may still not know who I am, or who I should be, but I do know what I am going to do. I will not let you or any of the other gray sides hurt my family. Is that clear?”

“They aren’t your family anymore.”

“Terra says otherwise.”

“Terror is a child. Confused and emotional. Like you. I have brought you in, you are my child now.”

“No.” Nemo steps away from him. “I’m not.”

“You are weak without me. You can’t even defend yourself. Everything you are is because of me.”

“No. Not everything.”

“Name one thing that isn’t because of me!?” Malice shouts. Nemo opens his mouth then closes it. “EXACTLY! You are overly emotional, have severe memory loss, heart problems, depression, are suicidal and selfish!”

“Well, gee. If I got all that from you then I can’t wait for what happens next.” Nemo crosses his arms.

“That is you without me.” Malice growls. “With me, you can be strong. You can protect yourself and no one will be able to hurt you-“

“Except you.” Nemo points out. “Because in order to be strong you must ‘build a tolerance for pain’ if I remember correctly.”

Malice bares his teeth. “You will regret this Truth.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Nemo disappears.

...

Logan jumps awake from his chair in front of his board. He rubs his face then looks at his watch. "I lost 4 hours." He stands up and stretches before looking at his data again. "There got to be a way," he mumbles. There’s a knock on the door. Logan ignores it. He looks on the floor cover in crumble paper and finds his notebook. He picks it up.

Virgil opens the door. “Logan?”

"Whatever it is the answer is no." Logan looks at the many papers tape to the board. He rips one off and crumbles it before tossing it on the ground.

“Lo, please stop. There isn’t a way to hurt them. There’s nothing to be done. All you’re doing is running your mind in circles and stressing yourself over something that isn’t even in need of being fixed.

Logan throws his notebook at the ground. "It needs to be fixed! Malice can't be hurt or kill but he can hurt and kill us! 3 minutes Virgil. Three minutes was all it took for you..." Logan swallows hard as tears fill his eyes. "I can't lose you. I have to fix this I-I." He kicks a pile of paper balls. "There's got to be something! Some weakness, some way to-"

Virgil places his hand over Logan’s mouth and looks him in the eyes. “There is nothing we can do. Trying to hurt them is only going to get us hurt or killed again.” Tears fall down Logan’s face he leans on Virgil and grips his jacket a sob breaks out. Virgil holds him and massages his head. “You don’t have to solve this...”

"It never stops."

“I know.” Virgil rocks him. Logan stress cries on Virgil holding him tight. Virgil rubs his back letting him. Logan slowly calms down and looks at his board.

Virgil kisses his cheek. “Let it go. Please.” Logan closes his eyes. Virgil leads him to the bed and lays him down. He holds him and massages his head, moving down to his neck.

"I don’t know what to do." Logan finally admits.

“There is nothing to be done,” Virgil says. “We just need to keep living...” He hums a comforting tune. Logan quickly falls back to sleep.

...

Nemo stands silently watching them, invisible. He frowns and his eyes are glossy, though he doesn't cry. No, crying is a weakness. Then again, maybe that's a lie. But he doesn't have time to figure himself out, to figure out what is true and what is lies. That was his job as a light side, and he had always suspected he failed. _‘Bias must have been just trying to keep me… But he doesn't need me. He has Virgil.’_ he continues to watch them. _‘Virgil makes him happy. Virgil doesn't drag him down like me.’_ Nemo frowns. _‘Anxiety… not Virgil._ ’ he leaves.

Nemo floats through nothing. It’s odd here. Nothing obeys the laws of physics and yet they do. There's no ground, no walls. And yet one can distinctly feel when they've entered a room, whether it be belonging to one of the other sides or just a general room. Then there was Outside. Nemo loves Outside. There, you can watch the mind work. It’s like never-ending lighting. Sometimes, when he's there watching the impulses, he can hear the other’s voices.

He misses them, yes. But this is the new normal. He can tell their lives are less chaotic without him there, the drag and mess for them to clean up. Deceit is there. Deceit will protect them. Nemo has faith in him. Faith, Hope. Hope is growing up. He and Terror have been hanging out more. Morality misses him deeply. Anxiety does too. Logic is hard to understand, maybe because there are two voices at once. Creativity didn't like his stunt, but he's healing. Nemo closes his eyes. His family is finally happy. That's all that matters.

Malice bugs him, but he's more of an annoyance than anything. He can't hurt him, and he's learned to ignore his words. It’s peaceful here. He doesn't have to worry about hurting anyone, nor worry about others hurting him. All he is concerned about is keeping the gray sides- mainly Malice- in check. Malice tends to do as he pleases, but the moment he even thinks about toying with the light sides, one glance at Nemo changes his mind. Neither are sure why Guilt mentioned in passing something about respect for Nemo.

Yes, this is his new normal. A lonely one, yes. But a peaceful one. What better way for the ugly Truth to live? There's nowhere to look at himself, but every day he feels more and more different. His once beautiful wings have slowly been losing their feathers. He feels like his eyes show exhaustion, though he's sure he is well-rested. He once wiped his face and his fingers had eye shadow smudged on them.

Truth. That is who he is. All other labels are meaningless. He is his trait, though he has failed at it. One step at a time, the first being protecting his family he's supposed to forget. Has he failed in that way? Maybe by Malice’s standards. But he doesn't care about Malice’s standards. In Truth’s eyes, he's succeeded. He's kept his family safe and calmer than they've ever been in the last two years. Yes, he must have been the problem. But maybe now he's making up for it. Though no one except him will know. That's okay. He's the only one he has something to prove to anyways. The first step was to protect his family. The next step? Understanding Truth.


	34. Chapter 34

It’s May now, four months since Nemo's been gone. No one's seen or heard from him in that time. Nico has given up on trying to get him back. Patton wouldn't leave his room for the first few weeks but now will reluctantly come out. Logan has stopped his quest to find a weakness of the grey sides’, and things have been quieter than ever.

Things actually seem to be getting better, with Thomas getting more and more opportunities to expand his channel and explore more options for videos. He finally introduced his fanbase to Andrew, Virgil being a mess beforehand, but after the video aired and the fanders’ feedback was well-received, he seemed to relax greatly. Roman, of course, was enthusiastic about the growth of creative outlets and the introduction of their handsome love. Mahaz seems to stop aging at 10, and he's often seen following Terra, trusting him to be his eyes.

Raven’s room was moved up as well, and he and Pete were quick to find each other. There were a few speed bumps, but he soon seemed to get the hang of being a light side over the course of a week.

Logan and Virgil mention the idea of apartment building instead of one giant house. Roman agreed that that would be best and with careful watch from Nico to keep him from overworking the change was done. Each apartment building was specialized for the "family" that lives there. The extra rooms Roman once made for the big house was more to who wanted them more. After a little bit of debating, Lue got the dance studio. After a Stern talk from Roman Pete was able to have her own apartment with Raven and Mahaz. Ori stays in Nico's and Roman's apartment.

Sham wanted to be with Roman and Nico, but with Nemo gone he decided to stay with Patton and Terra. There are 5 apartment rooms. Patton with Terra and Sham, Roman with Nico and Ori, Logan with Virgil and George, Pete with Raven and Mahaz, and Lue with Evan and Lokoi.

Lue works on breakfast for his family. As he works, he remembers how often he would come downstairs to find Nemo cooking, huming a song- usually his favorite band. He remembers the smell of coffee mixing with eggs, pancakes, and whatever else they'd be having. He remembers how he'd hold his family close, desperate to keep the ones he loves safe, even past the point of recklessness. Annoying? Yeah, he could be at times, especially when he wouldn't listen to reason, but that's what made him Nemo. If only he hadn't given up...

...

Truth stands at the top of the mountains that separate the Valley of Fear from the Shores of Truth. Except there are no shores. Just an ocean crashing against the rocks below him, and the island City of Rebellion faintly visible in the distance. Outside is nice, but he misses his domain. He frowns and looks back at the Valley. There is nothing to do in the subscape... Maybe he could learn more about his physical body to entertain himself. Maybe, he might learn more about himself in the process. He steps foot into the Valley.

...

Terra is watching Daredevil with Mahaz when he senses "It can't be." He stands up "I'll be right back." He quickly sinks out to his domain. He sees a figure with wings, though he looks so different, Terra has to do a double-take to be sure it's him. His wings that were once light gray and gold are now a matte black, reflecting no light. Feathers are missing and the ones that are left are matted and tangled. His hair is longer and unkempt, beginnings of curls decorating the frizz. His shirt is plain gray as are his pants. He kneels on the ground, waiting for the mist to come.

"Dad?" Terra approaches him.

Truth looks up, back facing him. "You shouldn't have come."

"What are you doing here?"

Truth turns around, eyeshadow running down his face. His eyes are yellow, full of yearning, but he keeps it contained. "I wanted to test something." Terra hugs him. Truth slowly hugs him back.

"You need to be groomed." He chuckles.

"It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, it does. Come on let me cut your hair and I can fix your feathers and-"

"Terror."

Terra looks at him. "Terra."

Truth frowns. "Forgive me. I can only see in black and white. It's easier than trying to solve emotions... I see why Logic did it for so many years now." Terra frowns and holds him. Truth sighs. "If it makes you happy, you can groom my wings if you wish." Terra smiles and goes to his back and starts grooming him. Truth's eyes slide closed and he almost immediately relaxes. No one's touched him like this in a long time. It feels safe, loving. There's some pain from his feathers being pulled around, but it's worth it. He keeps his dignity up until he starts purring. Terra smiles and continues trying to be careful. Truth purrs a bit louder before he stops, trying to compose himself. "Don't tell anyone about this... I don't want to give them false hope."

Terra frowns slightly. "Ok."

Truth closes his eyes again. "Apparently I'm immune to your domain."

"No, I've just been keeping it off you."

"Hmm." is all Truth says.

"Do you want it to affect you?"

"Yes."

"Ok." Terra leans back and the mist comes in.

It surrounds Truth. He sits up and looks out. In the distance, he sees Malice holding Logan by his throat. His eyes widen and he goes running towards them but stops himself and sits back down. _'It's not real.'_ he thinks. _'It's not-'_ he's taking off towards them. He grabs Logan and pulls him away from Malice, keeping him behind himself protectively. "YOU SAID YOU'D LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

Malice shrugs. "Plans change." he summons a knife and grins. Truth turns to Logan who looks at him coldly.

"Truth." they're in Logan's room now.

"Logic." Truth replies.

"You are the laziest, most problematic person I know!"

"I know." Truth looks up. "I knew."

"You don't try."

"I know."

"You wait for us to figure it out and then drag you to the truth!"

"I know."

"How can you call yourself Truth!? You don't even know the truth!"

Truth kneels down. Logan walks a circle around him. "Can you show me Truth...?"

Logan smirks and grabs his wrist, turning into Malice. Truth doesn't scream, but he looks scared. He gets dragged on a flashback trip of when he was in the dark side, being used by Malice. "That is the Truth. You are a product of my hand." Malice says.

"So, everything I hated about myself came from you?"

"I made you. Without me you are nothing."

"Without you, I've been happier."

"By using your _family_." Malice sneers. Truth closes his eyes. He can't get out. This nightmare is sadly not so nightmarish. It's reality to him, something he views almost every day. And his response? It tends to be to ignore it. He failed before at trying to solve it, does he really want to fail again? Terra pulls the mist back. Truth blinks and shivers. He holds himself.

"You haven't failed until you give up." Terra sits next to him.

"I gave up."

"Yeah, but there is no force stopping you from trying again."

"Yes, there is."

"Yeah yourself."

"My inability."

"Dad look your inability is caused by yourself. It's like what you told Lue if you want to change you need to want it."

"And how many times have I tried and failed? Every time I move it's always one step forward and two steps back."

"Change isn't easy, it never is but you didn't fail until you gave up. Everything before that was just progress. Slow progress but progress nevertheless."

"No. It wasn't. I was idle." Truth closes his eyes.

"I wish I'd been; I wish I'd been, a teen, teen idol.

Wish I'd been a prom queen, fighting for the title.

Instead of being sixteen and burning up a Bible.

Feeling super, super, super suicidal...

The wasted years, the wasted youth...

The pretty lies, the ugly truth..."

He looks at his mess of himself.

"And the day has come where I have died-

Only to find, I've come alive..."

Terra frowns he hugs Truth. He wraps his wings around Terra. Just that simple action brings him close to tears. _'No. Crying is a weakness. Shut up.'_ "Logan said he had to drag me to see the truth... And he did. In moments of emotional overload, I knew I was blind and couldn't find the truth. I depended on him to guide me... Like how you guide Mahaz..." Truth sighs. "I knew I was a heavy burden, but he insisted it was fine, that he could handle me. He lied to me... He lied about his health so he could help me." he doesn't realize he's calling everyone by their names and not their traits.

"He wasn't lying at the time. He really was fine but then he wasn't. He was frustrated and angry and he took it out on you. I will always love you, but we can't help you. Only you can so...I'm sorry." Terra turns into dust.

Truth desperately clutches the dust in his hand, but it still slips through his fingers. He feels himself crying, and a presence nearing him. "Truth." he flinches.

"Yes?" his voice waivers.

"Are you crying?"

"No."

Malice places a hand on his shoulder, though not in a reassuring way. "You are Truth... Not Deceit."

Truth squeezes his eyes shut. "Go away." Malice simply laughs. Truth stands and runs. "TERRA LET ME OUT!" There is no answer. He feels ink climbing his body. Fear. Emotion. Sadness. Everything he left behind comes flooding back. He screams. He's scared. He's terrified of emotions since he lost control. The one he's scared of the most- Anger. Anger fills him and he shakes.

_'Terra trapped me here. Terra trapped me in this fucking mist.'_ he gasps for air and lowers himself to the ground. He feels so sick. He can hardly breathe, it's like his lungs are on fire. Anger. Anger can save him. Anger can break him out of his fear. But what happens if he loses control? Will he simply become a vessel again? He rocks himself. He needs an outlet. Something, anything! He claws at himself, digging his nails into his flesh. He looks down and sees he's cut through the muscles of his arm. The sight makes him even sicker. He vomits and groans, shaking his head.

"Hit me, summon a punching bag, go for a run, anything. Just not that."

Truth shakily stands and starts running. He spends most of his time mentally running, so why not do it for real? Maybe if he runs fast enough, he can outrun his fears. His legs soon throb, and his lungs and nostrils are taking in cold fire. He slows down from exhaustion before collapsing, though he feels okay now. His mind is racing for a good reason now. He closes his eyes and lets himself catch his breath.


	35. Chapter 35

Terra rises back in Mahaz's room. "I'm back." He sits down. "Sorry, it took longer than I thought."

"It's okay." Mahaz is playing with a puzzle, feeling each edge then deciding where it should go.

"You are surprising good at puzzles."

Mahaz smiles. "Thanks!" he tries the piece in one spot, but it doesn't fit. He tries it in another, and it snaps in place. Terra takes a few pieces and starts figuring out where to put them. Mahaz turns his head towards Terra. "Is Nemo coming back?"

"No."

"You're hoping he does..."

"Hope and will are different. He needs to figure himself out first."

“He can. I know he can!” Mahaz smiles.

Terra smiles, "I hope your right." Mahaz continues with the puzzle.

...

Logan is playing chess with George. "Checkmate!" George giggles. Logan smirks

"Good job, George."

"Can I play with Lokoi now?"

"Yes, a deal is a deal." George beams and rubs off. Logan chuckles and starts cleaning up the board.

Virgil comes over and kisses Logan’s head. “You taught him well.” He smiles.

"I went easy on him, but he's getting better. I only had to trash half if my pieces this time." Virgil giggles. Logan kisses his cheek. "This is nice. Small, quite just you, me, and George."

“Yup.” Virgil wraps his arms around Logan and smiles happily. “I’m glad it worked out well."

Logan holds Virgil's arms. "You have been more relaxed, which is good. Things seem to be heading up."

“Yeah.” Virgil kisses him lovingly Logan hums. Logan stands up and holds Virgil lovingly. Virgil keeps him close, holding his tie and smiling into the kiss. Logan pulls Virgil's tie out if his shirt and holds it. Virgil massages the back of Logan’s head, parting from his lips for a moment to breathe. He gazes at him and smiles.

“I love you, Star.”

"I love you too, my Galaxy." Logan kisses his neck.

“Oh...” Virgil closes his eyes, breathing deeply. Logan smirks and drags Virgil into the bedroom.

...

Roman is painting a gay Mona Lisa in his art studio. There’s a knock on the door. “Roman! Lunch is ready!” Nico calls.

"Coming." Roman put his brush down and heads out. He walks to the table Ori already sitting. Roman smiles since the move he has seen more of Ori. Now that there are fewer people around, she doesn't feel like she needs to stay in her room. Nico brings out nachos for each of them; he smiles and sits down.

'Thanks, mom.' Ori signs Roman kisses his cheek.

"Thank you, love."

“Of course. Dig in!” Nico says and eats.


	36. Chapter 36

“TERRA PLEASE!!!” Truth screams. He’s been stuck in the mist for two hours now, repeatedly being reminded of his failure, his weakness. He can’t see past it. He can’t find a way to defeat it. He can’t defeat it like this. By reliving it over and over and over, if he weren’t a grey side he would have already died of a heart attack. He needs to be able to think, be able to breathe.

He gets up again and runs from the images of him torturing Nico. He runs from the comfort of the memories of Logan encouraging him. He runs from everything. He can’t think. He can’t figure out what’s the truth and what’s not. All he knows is that he knows nothing. All he knows is that he needs to run. He runs throughout the valley but can never leave. His fears always stop his escape. Every way he turns, he sees another version of himself. He sees the faces of his family, the hurt in their eyes. The fear. As he runs, he feels emotions roll over him like a current, each trying to take over him. He doesn’t know what to do. There’s nowhere he can go. He can’t die, he’s already dead. His legs scream at him. He’s tripped and fallen so many times. He tries to fly, but his wings are chained. He screams in despair and terror. Running isn’t working. He’s too tired to solve his problems. He barely registers Malice taunting him, but he couldn’t care less. Emotions hurt. Emotions are too confusing.

Maybe he’s just taking on the other’s problems. Maybe there’s nothing wrong with him, maybe he’s just pretending. Maybe he’s just being dramatic so someone will pay attention to him. Is he even real? Is thinking even real? What about feeling? He never thought he’d be afraid to feel. He always embraced emotions, scared of the times when he couldn’t feel, but now he wants nothing more than to not feel. Maybe he should have let Roman die. Maybe then he wouldn’t have to deal with this. Maybe everyone would finally be at peace. Maybe he should have let Malice take Logan. Maybe he should have just stood by and watched Malice destroy his family more. What’s he learning from this? To go numb? Did Terra really think this would work? Truth opens his eyes and sees everything around him on fire. He closes them again. _‘Finally. Let me die.’_

“Nemo, I can’t lose you!”

“He’s a lost cause.”

“Not you.”

“I’m a vessel. I’m weak.”

“Is he going to be okay?”

“We’re kind of numb to the whole dying thing.”

“You have to want to change.”

“We can’t help him.”

_‘I can’t help myself… no one can help me…’_ Truth breathes shallowly, eyes closed and unmoving. He feels himself sinking into the ground like quicksand.

Terra appears "You really are hopeless. You won't face anything. Run boy run. You got nowhere to run. FACE IT OR BE TRAP FOREVER!" Nemo sinks through and feels like he's falling.

“Then trap me... there is no hope...” he mumbles.

"You care so much about everyone else." Terra falls beside him "You would die for them. Yet you give up on yourself. You have the answers. You taught us now teach yourself."

“I can’t... I have nothing...” Terra frowns there is a big cracking sound as Terra hits the ground, but Nemo continues to fall looking up getting farther from Terra's limp body. Truth closes his eyes. “Stop...”

“You don’t understand... I need people...” Truth opens his eyes again, though not focusing on anything. “Yes I am Truth-“ he oddly feels a bit stronger at the statement. “But I speak it when talking with others, whether it be encouraging them or talking about myself. I can’t have a conversation with myself. Nothing gets accomplished and it just makes things worse. I need someone there to keep me from getting lost in my head.” He looks around. “I’m alone here. Alone with my fears. As I always am. This is no different than every waking moment.” He lands on the ground softly. Logan sits in front of him. Just sitting there waiting for him. Truth looks down, tears welling up in his eyes. He still feels chains around his wings. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what step to take. I know what is needed but I don’t know how.”

"You have suffered more than anyone. It hasn't been kind to you. You are your worst enemy. Forgive yourself."

“I can’t. I never truly do. I try but it always feels empty. Virgil told me to fake it till I make it, but...” Truth draws his knees up. “It never works.” Logan moves closer. He puts a hand on his shoulder.

Truth looks up at him. “I always depend on you to remind me who I am... I try to do that for myself, but my words are always empty because they're mine. If I say it and I’m the only one who hears it, I can’t tell if what I said is true or not. If I say it to someone else, I can watch their reach to help me figure out whether it’s true or not...”

"You need to trust yourself."

Truth looks down. “That’s the problem. I don’t. I can’t even remember a time that I did. Trust is built with experience, and the experience that I have with myself and with my mind has taught me to not trust my thoughts, never sure where they’re from. Spoken words are safer than thoughts, they can be thought through. Writing is even safer. It forces you to slow down, to organize your thoughts, and to find a way to express them in the best way possible.”

"Your time with Malice taught you that. He's scared you more than we ever understood. But here is the reality of it. You will never get better until you fix your thought process."

“My thoughts are scattered and incomplete, incomprehensible. There are a few things that make them understandable and that’s writing, music, and sometimes talking...”

"Then write, sing, we can't be with you 24/7 you need ways to calm yourself down when you are alone. Truth, you suffer from PTSD, anxiety, and Depression all that has gone untreated for years. To do it now is shown to be extremely difficult. Feels impossible, but nothing is impossible."

Truth closes his eyes. “Everyone says I’ve done nothing... it feels like it and seems like it because I’m still in the same place I was. Yet they never see the times I do try, when I attack the problem with vigor, when I push myself to positive self-talk... only for me to fall on my face a few weeks later. History repeats itself over and over and it’s pointless. The same cycle everyone has grown tired of including myself. So how is this time going to be any different? I know I’m going to fail.” His eyes shoot open. “I know I’m going to fail...” he whispers. “So why am I so disappointed in myself when I do? Failure is a part of life. We just have to keep going. It doesn’t matter how many times we fail. All that matters is we get back up and try again... and keep trying. And trying. With your whole heart.” He closes his eyes again and rests his head on his knees. He feels the chains fall from his wings. “Hope is the still small voice that says, ‘I will try again tomorrow...’ Even if I have failed, it doesn’t make me a failure.”

Logan holds him. "That is a step in the right direction."

Truth sighs. “Are you real?”

"Actual yes." Logan turns into Terra. "Just not who you thought." He frowns.

Truth holds him close. “Thank you...”

"For what? I trap you in my domain and made you miserable."

“Yeah... but you listened.”

"I'm kinda good at that." He smirks "When Sham was going through his thing. He knew no one understood what he was going through. He didn't want them to try, he just needed someone to talk to or just be there. I was there for him. To vent to or just hang. Every time you tell your problems to someone they try to fix it. Tell you how it should be done. Sometimes you just need to vent. To let it out and have someone to be there with you. This isn't simple. It will never be simple." Truth gives a small nod. Terra looks at him. "I'm really proud that you lasted as long as you did. I never realized how bad you have it. How much damage was done. I don't think I would have fought as hard as you did."

Truth looks at him. “Really?” Truth frowns. “I thought I was being dramatic... Everyone else had all their struggles and mine were from the past... It felt selfish for mine to be focused on when theirs was present...”

"Just because it was the past doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt in the present. That's PTSD you can't help it. Dad, you are many things but dramatic isn't one of them." Terra looks at Truth "You are actually just so amazing. You went through so much shit. You could have easily just locked yourself away and not trust anyone or just immediately give up, but you didn't. You fought so hard. Harder than anyone knows, and you care so much about us. You didn't let your problems stop you from helping us with our problems. You are just so...I don't have words to describe how amazingly awesome you are. I can't ask for a better Dad." Truth lowers his head and sobs, holding Terra tightly. Terra holds him. "I love you; I am proud of you. We should have said it more often."

Truth shakes his head. “N-None of you- did anything wrong.” He manages.

"No, we should have listened, really listen to you. We didn't give you the help you needed. We made you feel like your problems were less than ours."

“That wasn’t your fault though. You couldn’t help me. No one could...”

Terra sighs and squeezes him. "Ok."

Truth pulls away slightly and tilts Terra’s head up to look him in the eyes. “Promise me. Promise me you’ll never lie to me just to make me feel better. Please...”

"I promise, everything I said was true. I love you and I'm so very proud of you." Terra wipes Truths tears away. Truth smiles a bit and holds Terra’s hand, closing his eyes. "It's ok to cry, crying doesn't make you weak." Truth hangs his head as another sob threatens to break him. Terra lifts his head. "I'm serious, I know it’s hard, but Malice has done nothing but lie to you. You’re not weak, you have never been weak. Cry, it's healthy." Truth buries his face against Terra’s shoulder and screams as he cries, shaking and his eyeshadow runs. Terra holds him and pets his wings. "Just stay in this moment. Let it all out."

Truth screams again, grabbing a rock and throwing it as far as he can, holding Terra tightly. After a while, he calms down to just crying. Terra stays with him. The forest comes into existence. Terra doesn't once let him go. Truth sniffles, eyes closed. He flinches, feeling a presence approach. “Truth. There you are. What are you-“

“Don’t act like you didn’t know where I was. We all know where everyone was.” Truth glares at Malice, holding Terra protectively.

Terra growls "Stay away from him."

Malice smirks. “And what are you going to do, runt?”

Truth hisses and disappears with Terra. They appear in Terra’s room, Terra feeling sick from the transition. Truth frowns. “Are you okay?”

"I'm fi- I feel a little sick but I'll be fine."

Truth nods. He looks around and frowns. “Something’s different...” Terra's room looks to be split in half with two beds on each side of the room. One side looking likes Terra's room while the other looks like Sham's room.

"Yeah... we all live in apartments now."

“What?” Truth looks confused.

"It was Logan and Virgil’s idea. It's actually nice."

“Oh...”

“Truth.” Condemnation, Guilt, Malice, and some others that Terra doesn’t recognize stand in a half-circle. Truth swallows. “You need to come with us.” Condemnation says, wearing a lawyer’s suit. Truth reluctantly let’s go of Terra and moves towards them.

"Why?" Terra grabs Truth's hand.

Truth glances back at Terra. Condemnation snaps his fingers and Terra suddenly disappears from standing next to Truth and reappears on his bed. “Because we said so.” Condemnation grabs Truth’s arm and disappears with him. The others follow suit, leaving Guilt behind.

Terra looks at Guilt. "What is going on?"

“Trial.”

"What is he on trial for?"

“The crimes he believes he’s committed.”

"What! No, he can't defend himself."

Guilt takes off his hood and walks over to Terra. He holds his hand, looking him in the eyes. “You defended him. Malice planned to have the trial before the mind sent Justice and Revenge back as grey sides so Justice couldn’t defend him. Today was his last day free, but you might have changed that.”

"Is there anything I can do?"

Guilt shakes his head. “You’ve done enough.”

Tears fill his eyes. "Please help him. He can't win by himself. Not with Malice there." Guilt frowns and gives Terra’s hand a squeeze. "Please, he's suffered enough. He can't take anymore."

“The only way for him to win is if his defense comes from him. I stalled so you could give him what he needed.”

"You think he can do it?"

“We’ll see.”

"And if he can't?"

“Then no one will ever see him again...”

Terra's eyes widen. "No..."


	37. The Final Trial

Condemnation glares at him. “ _Truth_. Is it true that you have taken time from individuals such as Logic and Morality, yet have still failed to follow their advice?”

“No.” Truth looks up. “I did follow their advice to the best of my ability and to the best of my control.” His eyes glance at Malice before locking back onto Condemnation. “Next question.”

Condemnation raises a brow and looks at Malice who rolls his eyes and waves him on. “You vowed to protect Logan and yet you failed to do so. Do you have any remorse or was the act intentional?”

“I find it amusing that the side who literally took over my body and used it to do the things you are accusing me of doing is amongst the jury at this moment.” Truth looks at Malice. There is a murmur amongst the other grey sides. “So yes, even though it was not my actions, I still feel remorse and guilt over them because I was powerless to stop it from happening. However, that does not mean I am weak, it was simply a moment of weakness. Next question.”

Condemnation writes a few things down before continuing. “You claimed to have memory loss as a light side. Why? What benefit did it serve you?”

“I never claimed to have memory loss. Logan and Malice were-“

“We will be referring to all sides by their traits in order to avoid confusion.” Condemnation interrupts.

Truth glares with a bit of Virgil’s sass edging his voice. “Fine. _Logic_ and Malice were the first and only sides to my knowledge who have diagnosed me with memory loss. Deceit would block memories to help me cope with abuse, however, he did it so often that it short-circuited my mind. If something causes me a great deal of stress, it's harder for me to remember it long term."

"And what about the heart problems? You shouldn't have that."

"It may have something to do with the health of me as a trait."

"Care to explain?"

Truth takes a deep breath. "I have PTSD, anxiety, and depression. It comes and goes in bouts, but it leaves my mind a mess in its wake. After an episode, it's hard for me to decipher truth and lies. I depend on Logic mostly to guide me."

"So, you drag Logic around into your problems because your incapable of dealing with it yourself?"

Truth thinks over his words for a moment. "No. I asked multiple times if he wanted to leave. There were times when I'd leave in an attempt to cease being a burden to him, yet he would come after me and stay with me until I was calmed. He gave me tactics to try in moments of emotional overload so I could learn to get better. It's a slow process, yes, but progress is being made."

"Are you really making progress? It's our understanding that you have failed to change. Logic has also given up on you."

Truth closes his eyes. He fights back the doubts, the voices. _'Just because it was the past doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt in the present. That's PTSD you can't help it.'_ he remembers Terra's words.

_'Logan gave up on me... Terra said that's because he was angry after everything that had happened and took it out on me. I hope it's the truth... I don't want to say it if it's not. No, Terra promised me that everything he told me was true-'_

"Truth... We're waiting." Malice taunts. Guilt appears and stands amongst the other grey sides.

Truth opens his eyes and looks at Condemnation. "Yes, I am. I am no longer scared of becoming Deceit again. My irrational fears have been dealt with, though to the outside world no one would know the battle it was. Only I and the people close to me who I have allowed to see my mind will know. Logic didn't give up on me. He was upset and at his last thread after Vir- Anxiety was killed by Malice and Revenge, which led to Terror and Morality being out and trigger another episode for me. Not to mention Revenge nearly permanently killing all the light sides just to convince Creativity to make her a side and then Creativity to-"

"Okay, that is enough. This trial isn't about that." Malice says hurriedly, though Guilt glares at him from under his hood.

"You became a grey side, but no one killed you. How did you become a grey side?"

Truth looks down. "I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that question." Malice fidgets. Truth looks at him, but to accuse him without evidence wouldn't do him any good.

"It has been two months since you have become one of us. It seems the mind doesn't need you. Can you prove different?"

Truth looks up. "I've been resisting the pull to go back because I was unstable. The light sides have had a more positive life recently, and I didn't want to ruin it, though every day I still feel the pull."

"So, you admit that they are better off without you?"

Truth opens his mouth then closes it. _'No. Don't give in. I feel so weak... You're not.'_ "No. They are better without the drain I can be when I'm struggling, but they have all thanked me for helping them when they needed it. Even while dealing with my problems, I was still there for them as much as I could be, but I needed to step back for a bit and work on myself. Is that selfish? No. It's wisdom." Condemnation looks at Malice. Malice doesn't look pleased.

Condemnation looks at Truth. "You talk about PTSD, from what?"

Truth looks at Malice. "When I was in the dark side, before the split of Deceit and Truth, I was Malice's favorite 'toy'."

"Did you do anything to stop him?"

"Objection, this trial isn't about that. It's about the here and now!" Malice says.

"The past affects the future." Truth says simply. "If it still influences my actions today then it should be examined as well."

"Order." Condemnation calls and looks at Truth. "If the jury finds you not guilty what will you do?"

"I will continue to work to get better. When I feel that I am stable enough, I may go back to the light sides."

"How do you know things will be different? What keeps you from failing again?"

"Nothing. I will fail again. I know I will. To believe I won't would be foolish and reckless. I will fail but that doesn't make me a failure. I will fail, but that doesn't mean the journey is over. I might cry a bit, maybe need someone to hold me until I calm down, but I'll get back up and keep going. One foot in front of the other. I can do it. I know I can."

Condemnation leans back. "Has the jury made a decision?" The other grey sides look at each other. Truth sits down closes his eyes, the moment he's dreading. So much anticipation, so much stress all compressed into one moment.

"Yes." one of the grey sides says.

Justice steps through the crowd and Malice look at her in surprise. She glares at him before looking at Condemnation. "Not guilty." she declares.

"You are not part of the jury." Condemnation glares at her.

"Yes, she is." Guilt comes forward. "She's been here the whole time." some of the other grey sides are surprised to hear Guilt speak given he's usually quiet. Truth looks up at them.

"Well does the rest of the jury agree with Justice?"

They all nod. "Not guilty." Truth covers his face with his hands, crying. Guilt comes down and removes the handcuffs and bindings from his wings.

Condemnation nods "The court has found Truth not Guilty. court dismisses.”

Justice grabs Malice's arm. "We need to talk." they disappear.

Truth hugs Guilt who holds him and rubs his back. "Can- we go Outside?" Truth asks. Guilt nods and they disappear. They reappear in the Outside, the neuron impulses having slowed since Thomas was asleep, but it's still beautiful. Truth looks at Guilt. "Thank you." Guilt shakes his head. "What?" Truth looks confused.

"Thank yourself."

Truth smiles and looks over himself. He still looks disgusting. He frowns. "Pretty lies... The ugly truth..." he sings to himself quietly.

"It's your form. You can change it to match your needs." Guilt says, watching the 'sky'. "You are the most powerful of us."

"What?"

"Turning yourself into a grey side. Resisting the call back to the light sides. No one has done that." Truth frowns in thought and continues to watch the sky.


	38. Chapter 38

Patton is baking in the kitchen. The wall of his apartment is full of family pictures of everyone. He hums to himself as he watches the oven. Truth quietly appears outside the kitchen. "Patton..." he whispers.

Patton's head shoots up. He turns around and tackles Truth in a hug. "Nemo." Patton pepper his face in kisses Truth kisses him back, holding him tightly. Patton holds him tightly and kisses him passionately. Truth cries softly, running his hand through Patton's hair. Patton looks at him. "Love are you ok?"

Truth kisses Patton's head and wraps his black wings around him. "I am now."

Patton smiles and nuzzles him. "Dad!" Terra runs over and hugs Truth.

Truth extends his wing to wrap around Terra as well. He kisses his head. "Thank you..."

Sham comes out of his room curiously. He stops and drops his phone, staring at Truth. Truth smiles at him and extends his arm. Sham runs to him and hugs him tightly, almost knocking all of them over, shaking as he cries. "Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad." he whispers

Patton gets a better look at Truth. "You need a haircut."

Truth chuckles. "Terra already offered to help with that."

Sham pokes Truth's wings. "Why are your feathers black?"

Truth shrugs and looks down. "Probably my self-image these last couple of months..."

"We can work on that." Patton cups Truths face. He kisses his head. "I'm so happy to see you."

"I am too." Truth kisses Patton deeply and closes his eyes.

"Eww get a room." Terra teases. Patton giggles

Truth smirks. "Come here." he picks up Terra and bounces him.

Terra laughs "So you won? Are you going to stay?"

Truth gives him a squeeze before putting him down and frowning a bit. "That's the thing... If I come back, will I still have my memories...? Will I still be me or will there be a different version of Truth?"

"You would be you." Guilt says and Sham jumps and hisses at him.

Truth turns to him. "How?"

"You are the most powerful of us. The mind isn't just summoning your trait, it's summoning _you_. You're experiences, your personality, everything."

Patton looks at Guilt. "Does this mean we're getting Nemo back."

Guilt nods. "If he decides to come back." he looks at Truth who's looking at the floor.

"I'm not ready..." Truth whispers, barely breathing.

Patton hugs him. "I'll wait for you."

Terra hugs him as well. "I'm so proud of you."

Sham hugs him too. Truth holds them all tightly. "I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry you all had to go through this..."

"Don't be. Maybe this was what you needed. To step back for a while and work through something." Patton thinks

"We will always love you and be here when you’re ready." Terra squeezes. "I love you Dad and that's the gospel truth."

Truth chuckles and kisses Terra's head again. "Thank you."

"Can I cut your hair now? You look like an emo Nightmare even worse than Virgil."

Sham starts furiously wiping off the eyeshadow. Truth laughs. "Okay. Okay."

Patton giggles "Go take a shower and then we will give you a makeover." Patton kisses his cheek. "Let's see if we can find Nemo under all of this emo." He laughs

Truth beams and laughs more, kissing Patton's cheek. "Okay, Honeybee." Sham shows him where the bathroom is and Truth heads in for a shower. Once he gets in, he can't get out. The water feels so warm and comforting, he forgot what it was like. It's at least a half-hour before he finally reappears in the living room, eyeshadow finally washed off. "Patton, can you help me dry my wings?"

"Of course, Angelfish." Patton grabs the towel. Terra comes over with a pair of scissors.

"Ready?" Truth nods. Terra starts cutting his hair as Patton dries his wings.

Sham helps Patton with the wings. Truth smiles. He doesn't feel like he has to earn it, all of this special treatment. He doesn't feel guilty about it. They're doing it out of love. He loves his family and they love him. This is a way of them showing that love. He closes his eyes. "Music?" Sham grins and immediately plays Imagine Dragons. Truth chuckles.

Terra finishes cutting Nemo's hair. "Done!" He smiles and gives Truth a mirror.

Truth looks himself over and beams. “Looks amazing! Thank you!” He smiles at Terra.

Terra beams "Your welcome!" Patton starts grooming his wings. Truth purrs and his eyes slide closed. Patton giggles Terra moves over and helps Patton. Truth lays down and rubs his cheek on the couch. Sham snickers. Terra and Patton giggle as they pamper Truth. He purrs loudly, melting under their touch and almost falling asleep. Then he does, when he wakes up a few hours later he finds himself stuck in a cuddle pile with Patton, Sham and Terra all asleep holding him lovingly. Truth smiles and closes his eyes, enjoying the moment and not letting himself worry about the future. He loves his family and his family loves him, that is all he needs.

...

“Guilty.” The jury decides. Condemnation nods at Justice who leads Malice away.

“You do know you can never truly get rid of me. I am one of the original three.” Malice taunts.

“Wanna bet?” Justice leads him to the Outside. She looks him in the eye. “You will never hurt anyone again.” She pushes him off the edge and he disappears into the void. She huffs and disappears, reappearing in the dark side.

She quietly makes her way to Sloth’s door, watching Revenge and Sloth playing a video game. “THAT BITCH! I’LL HAVE HIS HEAD!” Revenge screams when her avatar dies. Sloth laughs. Revenge glares at him. “You think it’s funny!?”

“No- it’s just you sound like me.” Sloth smirks. Revenge blinks and huffs, crossing her arms and pouting. Sloth gently hands her the controller back. “Let’s avenge you together.” She smiles a bit at him, and they continue playing together. Justice smiles softly at them before leaving.

... 

Truth stands outside Logan and Virgil’s apartment and knocks. Logan opens the door and freezes. He takes a second to break out. "Truth." Logan says in a neutral tone.

“Logan.”

Virgil peaks around Logan and gasps. He charges forward. “NEMO!” He knocks Truth down in a hug. Truth laughs lightly and hugs him back, closing his eyes. “Wait-“ Virgil pulls back and lightly slaps him. “WHERE WERE YOU!?”

Truth rubs his cheek. “The grey sides.”

“Why!?”

“I needed time.” Truth sits up and Virgil stands, offering him a hand. He takes it and Virgil pulls him up. Logan keeps his distance. Truth looks at Logan. “Don’t you dare blame yourself.”

"I'm not-" he sighs "Why are you here?" He crosses his arms.

“I’m coming back.”

Virgil looks at him. “For real this time?”

Truth nods. “I needed to see you before I do in case... it doesn’t go as planned...” Logan walks away.

Virgil frowns at him. Truth gives his shoulder a squeeze. “It’s okay.” Virgil sighs and hugs him. Truth rubs his back. “I’ll see you soon.”

Virgil clings to him. “Don’t leave again.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

Virgil sighs and lets him go. “When?”

“Tomorrow I think...” Truth says.

Virgil nods and gives his hand a squeeze. “See you in a minute.” He smirks.

Truth shakes his head. “Don’t. That phrase is cursed.”

Virgil chuckles. “Okay. Bye Nemo.”

“Goodbye, Virgil.” Truth smiles and disappears. Logan types on his computer.

Virgil goes over to him. “You okay?”

"No, I'm annoyed." Logan turns towards Virgil. "2 months in silence then he comes back as if nothing happened. Like this time is going to be different."

Virgil leans on the desk. “We don’t know what happened back there.”

"I know history. He's going to be fine for a week maybe two then it's going to go downhill. I won't fall for it again."

Virgil frowns. “He knows that too.”

"If he knows that then he shouldn't come back." Logan turns towards his computer.

Virgil sighs. He knows he won’t be able to convince Logan without proof. “We’ll see.” He heads towards the door. Logan frowns he closes his laptop and rests his head in his hands. He takes a deep breath.

...

Nemo opens his eyes. He sees his ceiling and smiles. He sits up and looks at his wings. Their gray and gold coloring has returned. He stands and leaves his room, going down to Patton’s. He quietly opens the door and crawls into bed with him. Patton hums and unconsciously hugs him. Nemo pets his hair and kisses his head. “I love you.” He drifts off again. Patton wakes up a few hours later he looks at Nemo his skin a brighter shade. His grey and gold wings. Nemo was back. Patton smiles big and pepper kisses Nemo's face holding him close like he might disappear if he doesn't. Nemo hums and blinks. He smiles at Patton. “Hey.” Patton kisses him deeply. Nemo hums and closes his eyes.

Patton looks at him loving. "Tell me I'm not dreaming."

Nemo kisses his nose. “You’re not. I’m back.” Patton kisses him deeply. Nemo moans softly.

Patton smiles at him. "I am never letting you go."

Nemo chuckles. “That’s fine by me.” He nuzzles him. Patton continues to kiss him everywhere not wanting to let go of him. Nemo moans quietly, getting a few kisses in himself.

Patton giggles "What now Angelfish?"

“Hmm.” Nemo closes his eyes and rests his head on Patton’s shoulder. “Stay in bed with you all day.”

Patton massages his joints. "What about food?" he smirks Nemo purrs. Patton kisses his neck. Nemo gasps and keeps him close.

"I love you so much. Faults and all." Patton continues to kiss him.

Nemo shivers. “I love you too...”

Patton looks at him longly. "We should get up and make breakfast." Patton holds his hand.

Nemo nuzzles him. “But you’re warm.”

"And hungry." Patton giggles and sits up.

Nemo sighs. “Okay.” He sits up as well, still holding Patton.

Patton smirks and picks Nemo up and leaves his room. He moves into the kitchen. "What do you want for breakfast Angelfish?"

Nemo thinks. “French toast?”

Patton smiles "Ok!" Patton puts Nemo down at the table and goes into the kitchen and starts making breakfast. A little bit later Terra and Sham come out of their room. Terra looks at Nemo and beams as he runs over and hugs him. Sham runs over and hugs him as well. Nemo holds them close.

"Welcome back." Terra squeezes him.

“Thank you.” Nemo smiles.

Patton smiles at them. " Hey Nemo, where is your room?"

“Down the hall.”

"We can ask Roman to move your room into mine. If you want that is."

“What?” Nemo looks confused.

"Some of us are sharing rooms. Figure most of us only sleep in one room anyway might as well, you know?" Patton shrugs.

"Yeah me and Sham share a room, but we have two beds," Terra smirks.

Nemo nods and thinks it over. “I think I’ll keep my room as a project room if that’s okay?”

"Ok, whatever makes you happy," Patton assures. "Oh! Does anyone else know your back?"

“Virgil and Logan. I told them yesterday I would be coming back today. Logan is apprehensive though I don’t blame him...” Nemo looks down.

"Just give him time you know how he is," Patton assures.

"Yeah, he will come around. You guys are best friends." Terra smiles.

Nemo gives a small nod. “He’s looking at the facts and history, which hasn’t been very positive...” he pauses. “That said, I have made progress. I don’t get nightmares about being Deceit anymore. You both helped me with that.” He smiles at Sham and Terra. “I rarely get nightmares about Malice anymore. I’ve mostly stopped running except when I need time to think.”

Patton smiles. "That's great! I'm so proud of you."

Terra nods "Me too."

‘Me three.’ Sham signs.

“Thank you.” Nemo leans against the counter, smiling. Patton leans over and kisses his head. Nemo hums.

Patton continues making breakfast then hands it out. "Eat up." He smiles.

"Thanks, Dad."

‘Thank you.’ Sham signs.

“Thank you, Honeybee.” Nemo kisses Patton’s cheek.

Patton giggles "Anything for my Angelfish and family." Patton ruffles Terra's and Sham's hair.

"Hey!" Terra goes to fix his hair. Sham chuckles, not bothering with his bed head. Patton stares at Nemo with love in his eyes. Nemo gazes back and smiles softly, holding his hand.

Terra whispers to Sham. "Goo-goo eyes."

Sham giggles. “We won’t do chores today. Stay and don’t hang with each other.” He winks.

"Aww, thanks, Sham."

Terra nods "I'll help you, bro." He playfully punches his shoulder. Sham chuckles. Nemo smiles at them. He’s missed this.

Patton hugs Nemo's arm and leans on him. "I think the worst is over. No more evil sides to fight. Depression is at bay. Thomas is happy. Your back, what more can I asks for?"

Nemo nods. “I heard Andrew was introduced to the fanders. Seems things are getting serious...” he smirks.

"Yeah, Andrew is great." Patton blushes "but I have my own Andrew right here." Patton nuzzles him. Nemo purrs and nuzzles him back. He kisses his cheek.

"Eww get a room," Terra smirks

Patton giggles "With pleasure." Patton picks him up and goes to his room.

Terra looks at Sham. "Want to leave? I have a feeling there going to be loud."

Sham smirks and nods. “Where to?”

"Mahaz?" Sham nods and starts cleaning up breakfast.


	39. Chapter 39

Logan is playing checkers with George. He giggles. "King me!"

Logan chuckles "Good job George." Logan Kings him. There’s a knock on the door. "Come in." Logan moves his piece. George jumps up and opens the door.

"NEMO!" George hugs him. Logan looks up and frowns then quickly hides it.

Nemo laughs and bounces George. "Hey, George."

George hugs him. "Your back from your vacation! How was it?"

"Uh- interesting," Nemo says and rocks him. "How have you been?"

"I've been great. Papa teaches me how to play checkers."

"Ooo! Sounds fun." Nemo looks over at the table.

Logan gives a polite wave. "George go to Nanny Lue Lue."

George nods "Ok Papa." George climbs down and heads out closing the door. Logan starts cleaning up the game.

Nemo fidgets with the hem of his shirt but still looks at Logan. "I'm all ears."

Logan glances at him. "What do you want Truth?"

Nemo sighs. "Nemo. Truth was... A persona more or less."

"Fine, _Nemo_ what do you want?"

Nemo resists wincing. "I want to know how you feel."

"I was fine until you decide to come back." Logan doesn't look at him. He knows he's being harsh, but he refuses to give in to hope.

Nemo leans against the wall and looks at the floor. "Things have been easier since I left so the only logical explanation is that I was the cause of the instability in the mindscape. You're not wrong."

Logan shakes his head. "You're unbelievable."

"I know."

Logan slams the table. "Damnit Nemo fight back! Stand up for yourself for once in your life."

He looks away. "For once in my life..." he mumbles before looking back at Logan. "You've known me for two years. You've seen me struggle with my past, but you weren't there. I tried. I tried to stand up for myself and I learned that fighting back only caused more pain to myself and danger to the one I loved. Then I was free but was alone. That idea of loneliness stayed with me even after I was accepted because no one fully understood, and no one will. And you know what? That's okay. It's okay that no one completely understands me and it's okay that I'm going to fail. What matters is that I get back up and keep moving forward, that I don't stay there in my failure.”

There is a moment where hope fills Logan's eyes then it's crushed. "We'll see." He puts the game in a closet.

Nemo nods and looks down. "That's all we can do..."

Logan looks at the ceiling. "You say a lot of words, but your word is meaningless. Here is the truth Nemo." He looks at him. "Your word is meaningless. I do not believe you can change. I refuse to get drag around anymore. I tried and tried but I could not help you. No one can. You are alone with people staying around because hope says you will change but I know for a fact you are incapable of change." He glares at him almost analyzing him.

Nemo nods. "Not incapable, just slow."

Logan looks at him a moment longer before looking away. "Extremely slow."

Nemo shrugs. "It's either that or bury all emotions. I tried that for two months. It didn't solve anything and nearly got me sentenced to disappearing, so I'm gonna try again."

Logan rubs his face. "You are so... Frustrating."

"I know. Sorry, you've had to put up with me for two years. It's a wonder Virgil's still around." Nemo almost smirks.

"You don't get it, do you!?" Logan almost growls "You just... UGH you are so self-defeating. I praise you, you argue with me, I brash you, you agree with me. You believe that you were bothering me, you believe that you were hurting everyone. You are so gullible Revenge trick you into thinking Roman killed Virgil! You believe only what you want to believe and your view of yourself changes so fast it's hard to believe that you believe in anything! You quit, you gave up and self-destruct now you’re back talking about self-improvement when you can't even defend yourself against me!? You...you-UGH. You make no sense! Every other sentence goes against your goal."

"And what do you think my goal is?" Nemo looks attentive.

"Your goal is to get past your trauma unless I'm wrong." Logan crosses his arms.

Nemo leans on the table. "You're upset with me for not defending myself against you, but why would I? What you're saying is true from the information you have. If I were to try and defend myself, I'd be lying."

"Only if my information is correct. Even then, it's just-" Logan groans

"It's your personal truth based on your perspective. You have a very balanced and open perspective, so the likelihood of your information being correct is great."

"You hold me up to high. It was my bias that kept me going as long as I did. You have a way to bring in hope, but reality says different."

"So, your bias has changed perspectives or is that logic talking?" Nemo raises a brow.

"It was my heart that kept believing in you, but the facts go against that hope." Logan stands tall.

"The facts only see my outward actions while the heart sees my mind." Nemo doesn't move.

"You are analyzing me, trying to figure out who is talking. Sorry to break it to you but it is Logan." Logan sits down.

"You're doing the same with me." Nemo shrugs. "What was mildly amusing at my trial in the face of my demise with Malice as a part of the jury, they kept calling you Logic as if that's all you are. Gray sides have a very small picture of each side." he shakes his head. "About got immediately sentenced just for continuously calling you Logan instead of obeying their rules." he looks up. "I saw Thomas's mind. As in his brain. It wasn't just the center of logic and reasoning, it was the center of emotions, creativity, a hint of chaos, yet it was balanced. It was always sending signals and yet- the rapid-fire of information was beautiful... I'd sit there for hours and watch it, listening to all of you. So many voices at once and yet it worked together in a chaotic harmony that builds the personality of one person. So, I asked myself, if Thomas can do it why can't I? And the answer is because I didn't try. I tried to silence the chaos instead of riding it out, for fear of being swept away by it. I have to own it in order to understand it." Nemo glances at Logan. "Sorry... Metaphors..."

"You talk with wisdom. Wisdom you rarely take yourself."

"It only comes out when I talk with other people. Then I forget if I don't write it down..." Nemo frowns and pulls out his phone, making a few notes. "I have to leave instructions for myself like a parent to a child," he smirks and puts his phone away.

Logan nods "I cannot agree that you will grow. You communicate a lot of words that make it sound as you will change but I have seen it before, and I know how it ends."

Nemo nods. "Maybe I can give you new evidence then."

"That would be sufficient." There's a knock on the door. "Come in."

Lue opens the door, carrying George. He sees Nemo and runs over, hugging him tightly. Nemo hugs him back and closes his eyes. George giggles madly. "See? See?"

Lue nods and laughs through tears. "I see George." he looks up at Nemo who smiles down at him. Nemo looks over at Evan standing in the doorway. Nemo nods at Logan.

"I'll see you later." he heads out, Lue following with George.

Evan looks at Logan. "Neither one of you is going to change in a day. Good to have you back Nemo. See yeah Logic."

"Logan."

"Whatever." Evan waves him off and leaves.

Nemo closes the door behind them, frowning slightly, but is quickly swept away by Lokoi and Lue who furiously knocks on Romico's apartment. Roman opens the door. "What is it?"

"AH!" Nemo stumbles as Lokoi shoves him towards Roman, giggling madly. Nemo falls into Roman's arms. "Um- hey..." he smiles sheepishly.

Roman smirks "Are you here to try killing me again? Or processes me?" He teases.

"Heh... Yeah..." Nemo pulls away and stands on his own. "Sorry about that. But in all fairness, I was trying to keep you from dying and trap Revenge so-"

Roman hugs him. "Just making it clear I didn't kill Virgil."

"Yeah, I know." Nemo hugs him back and closes his eyes and relaxing.

"Nico, Ori come here!" Roman calls out. Ori comes out of her room and squeals as she runs up and hugs Nemo.

Nemo chuckles and hugs her back. "You've gotten taller," he comments.

Nico follows Ori and his eyes widen. He runs over and hugs Nemo as well. "Don't you dare leave again I swear if I have to tie you down and watch you 24/7 then that's what I'll do!" he squeezes him.

Nemo laughs and rubs his back. "I'm not leaving. I promise."

Nico pulls away and looks him in the eyes. "Malice?"

"Justice informed me he was declared guilty and sentenced to disappearance. He's never coming back. Revenge is trapped in the dark side."

"So that's it, no more bad guys." Roman smile "Finally things can go back to normal." Ori squeezes Nemo.

Nemo pets her head. "I don't think we should move backward. We should look forward."

"What do you mean?" Lue asks.

"I mean that our normal before is not going to be our normal now." Nemo shrugs. "Then again you guys have had a pretty good few months. Oh! Also, I love how the apartments came out." he smiles at Roman.

“Thanks, it wasn’t easy.” Roman smiles.

Pete comes out of her and Raven's apartment, curious about all the noise. She sees Nemo and screams. "NEMO!" she runs and tackles him in a hug, sending him and Ori down.

"Omph." Nemo protects them with his wings and laughs. "Hey."

Mahaz feels his way over and falls onto them. "MEMEO!"

Nemo smiles at him. "You've gotten so big!" Nico giggles and falls onto the cuddle pile. "ACK! NICO!" Lokoi squeals and jumps on as well, followed by Lue and George. Nemo coughs dramatically. "Guys- you're gonna- kill me again." he looks up at Roman. "Help."

"Sorry but this is punishment for leaving." He smirks “Take your love and affection like a man."

"Ahhhhhhhh! I'm drowning!" Nemo wails and laughs.

"You can't drown! You're a fish!" Lokoi exclaims.

"Fish can drown too!"

"Not really." Roman chuckles.

"Yes, they can!"

"If you have enough breath to argue about the scientific facts of fish, you're fine," Nico smirks.

Roman takes a picture. "Yup."

Nemo lays his head back in defeat. "Okay. You win." he looks down at them lovingly. Pete giggles.

"We're still not letting go of you."

"Okay, but can we move this to the carpet or something?"

Virgil rises up and starts running full force. Nemo and Lue scream in terror, but Virgil slows down and 'gently' falls on top of them. "YEET!"

Roman laughs "O my God Virgil."

Virgil smirks. "Sorry guys, but I'm the only one who can legally lay on him all day."

"Says who!?" Nemo asks.

"Says the laws of cat physics."

"What!??" Nemo exclaims, bewildered while Nico is dying of laughter.

"Doesn't that require you to be a cat?"

Virgil hisses. "How dare you question him, Roman. All hail Virgil the cat lord. All shake quake beneath- OW! VIRGIL YOUR KNEE!" Lue shoves Virgil off, getting another hiss. Nemo laughs Roman continues to laugh.

"Okay, do you think he's learned his lesson?" Nico smirks.

Lokoi giggles. "Nope!" he squeezes Nemo who fake coughs.

"PATTONNNNN!"

Patton comes out of his apartment. He laughs at the scene. "Yes, dear?"

"HELPPPP!"

Everyone laughs. "Join us!" Lue exclaims.

"Please no-" Patton lays on the pile. Virgil leaps on top of him. Nemo winces. "Ah! Guys, I love you but please- ow- you're pinching my wing!"

Patton sighs "Ok everyone off."

Everyone rolls off. Nemo sits up and holds his wing, breathing easier. "Thanks, sorry..."

"Nothing to apologize for." Patton kisses his head. The others nod in agreement. Nemo smiles at them and stands.

"We should celebrate!" Roman exclaims.

"YES! A GRAND CELEBRATION!" Nico exclaims.

"Guys that's not really-" Nico shushes Nemo with a finger.

"Hush now. Let the masters work."

"We will have a feast! Made by our most talented chef!" Roman dramatically gestures at Patton.

"Aww, thanks, Roman." Patton smiles

"Then we can watch movies together while Nemo falls asleep." Roman teases.

"Hey!" Nemo grins.

Roman chuckles. "Now if you excuse me, I need to borrow your boyfriend." Roman grabs Patton and drags him away.

Patton giggles "By Nemo."

"Bye honeybee." Nemo smiles after him.

Nico looks at Nemo. "Love the haircut. Very boy band," he smirks.

Nemo blushes. "Thanks. Terra did it."

Nico nods. "Well I guess we should all get ready!" everyone disperses, leaving Nemo to go back to the apartment and wait. He sits in his room and glances at the ukulele Sham made for him and the Bandito jacket that Virgil made. He smiles and puts it on before grabbing the ukulele. 

...

Everyone is seated at a big table that is cover in all of Nemo's favorite foods. "Here, here!" Roman starts "We are gathered here this fine night to welcome back our one and only Nemo. Let him stay with us until Thomas parts."

"Cheers!"

Nemo smiles at everyone and gazes hungrily at the meal. "Thank you," he says to Roman and Patton before digging in. Nemo looks at his family while he chews, they laugh and talk. He smiles knowing everything will be fine now.

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it. It's done. It took eight months to write and ten months to post, but this series is finally over. All the characters are happy, and they don't have us to torture them anymore. This series was fun to make and really helped me and Space through a tough time, and it brings us great joy to see you guys enjoy it as well. I'm going to make a Q&A post where you guys can ask any questions about the series, and I'll be happy to answer them to the best of my abilities. I think it would be fun. Here is a link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20062906
> 
> Now that this is finished I will put my focus on the Starfall AU. Another series that Space and I are writing. We have already started posting it as we are in the middle of book three in posting and book 5 in writing. If you like this, I think you will like that so give it a read. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading and commenting I hope you have a great day and happy reading!-Terra


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